Timing and Structure in Competitive Star Wars: Legion

It can be a bit of a shock coming from a casual setting to a competitive game, there are a lot of things that change, but one of the most stressful can be the ticking of the clock and the judge constantly calling out how much time you have left. To those who are not used to it, the added pressure of a time constraint can really throw you off your game and cause you to panic and rush into make less than optimal plays in the name of undue expediency.

To get familiar with round timing lets go over the format briefly. Star Wars: Legion competitive games are played on a shared game timer of 2 hours, meaning that both players share the same pool of time and both players are responsible for the pace of the game - this has some advantages and disadvantages, namely that timing can be used and abused for a competitive edge by less sportsmanlike players (but this is pretty rare). It should also be pointed out that the 2 hour timer is for the actual game portion of legion and not any of the pre-game (unless you are slow and your time bleeds over). But let’s write it out for a better look at when the timer starts.

SW:Legion Setup Pre-Timer:

TO announces pairings and tables and players find tables

Players discuss terrain effects and cover if it is not predetermined by TO

This whole process usually takes 10 minutes or less. In my several Legion conventions to date I have found that the TO generally gives about 15 minutes for this process to accommodate people who take longer to find their table or who dont have a good method of transporting their armies from table to table. It is important to remember that once you have deployed everything you should not proceed until the judge or TO has instructed you to. However if you are running a little behind it is also not a cause to worry, just proceed directly from deploying to playing the game.

Once the game has begun you have 2 hours to complete 6 rounds, which people would assume means 20 minutes per round. so lets take a look at how that game breaks down. I have stated before that I believe the average competitive lists will fall between 7 and 10 activations so lets use 10 activations for each list in this example as it is both on the extreme side and an easy number to work with.

Two Hour Game Breakdown

there are 6 turns in the game so divided equally that is 20 minutes per turn.

each turn has a planning phase in which you pick a command card, which we will say is 1 minute combined for both players (it should be quicker but we will make the math easy)

we also have to account for token clean up and resetting at the end of the round which we will say is also 1 minute for simplicity (this should also be quicker).

that leaves us with 18 minutes per turn to activate 20 units for both player or 54 seconds to activate each unit.

In the above scenario 54 seconds to activate each unit is a lot of time, but in actuality that isn’t how a real game works - some turns you will do more thinking (often referred to as “in the tank” in the competitive scene) and some turns will be much quicker due to diminished units remaining. so lets take a look at how a real game could break down.

Real World Two Hour Game Breakdown

In a competitive game you should be constantly pre-planning and evaluating, so you should have a really good idea of which command card you are playing each round. It should be more or less instant but lets say 20 seconds each turn or 2 minutes for the whole game.

Turn 1 will have a lot of unpacking of your units (moving them from the deployment zone to where they want to go) and only occasional attacking lets say just for example that half the units double move or move and token up (a quick 15 second activation each) and half the units take an attack during their activation (a normal 54 second or 1 minute activation). This would be a total of 12 minutes and 30 seconds for turn 1 which is reasonable.

Turn 2 and 3 will be the longest turns of the game. This is where the bulk of your combat happens as well as the bulk of the time you spend in the tank. lets assume that no units have been eliminated on either side and that each unit will attack this round - in addition lets assume that each player spends 2 minutes in the tank. that would give us 24 minutes for turn 2. On round 3 lets assume that one unit on each side has been eliminated (although it will probably be higher) - that would give us 22 minutes for turn 3. we have spend a total of 60.5 minutes so far or almost half our time on half our turns.

Turn 4 we can assume that each side has lost 2 to 3 units so lets just say 5 between both players. there could be a little tank time on turn 4, lets say 1 minute each, and we can safely assume that each unit will attack this round. or a turn time of 17 minutes.

Turn 5 will often see lots of units defeated but it is often when we start planning our hail marry if we need to. so lets assume that 4 units on each side are defeated but we are also going to spend 1 minute each in the tank and also that every unit is attacking this turn. this gives us a turn time of 14 minutes.

Turn 6 starts with 29 minutes remaining. we can also assume that half of each force has been defeated at this point and that each unit is attacking. That would mean that the round would take 10 minutes leaving 19 minutes to spend throughout the rest of the game or to end early and rest and recover.

I already know that a lot of people are going to say that this is an unrealistic expectation but I dont believe that is true and in my 4 conventions to date I have only had one game go over time and on average I end most games with 30 minutes to spare. so to help get up to speed lets look at some ways to speed up gameplay. But in addition to that the TO has the discretion to increase a game time by 30 minutes if they really feel its needed.

Tips and Tricks for Time Management

Memorize the cards. You should know all the stats on all of your units and ideally everything your opponent has as well. Not looking at cards cuts a ton of time from your game.

Have your tokens and dice organized and ready. you should have all the tools you need at hand and in a place that is easy to get to. as an add on to this, if your opponent is attacking start grabbing defense dice and suppression.

Think on your opponents time. if you are waiting until your opponent has finished what they are doing you are wasting too much time you could be planning ahead - as well as letting your opponent lead the game - bad on both counts.

Invest in a tray and unit card organizers. A tray to move from table to table is a huge quality of life improvement and organizers that save you from setting out your cards every game is also a big deal… remember, you dont want to be looking at those cards anyways… even if they are all cool alt art.

if you are double moving, just move the unit leader twice and then set everything into cohesion at the end of move 2. it should only take 5 or so seconds to move a unit.

It may seem daunting at first. but 60 second activations are actually a ton of time if you aren’t looking up unit stats or rules as you play. and the more you play the more you memorize, so the easiest way to speed up your games is just to play more games. If you are still having trouble with timing try playing casual games on a timer or organizing your tokens and dice more efficiently. If you know timing is something you will struggle with and you dont play enough to increase speed, and you do find yourself at a major event where time management is expected just let your opponent know that you are fresh to the game and to excuse you while you think… no one will fault you for that as long as you are doing your best - remember we are all here to have fun first.

Upgrade Summary:

For 10 points and a force upgrade slot this upgrade can exhaust as a free action to allow you to move an enemy unit within range 1 a full standard speed 1 move as well as place the rest of the unit models into cohesion.

Upgrade Analysis:

Moving an opponent’s figures is an incredibly powerful ability whose value cannot be quantified. This can be used offensively or defensively and is quite powerful as a control element in your list.

Suggested Use:

This upgrade is recommended for almost all force users, especially those who focus on melee or want to be on the front lines or defending objectives. Force Push can be used to extend the threat range of your list by moving the opponent in closer to your forces - it also allows you to move units out of cover to be more susceptible. In extreme scenarios where your opponent leaves units near a table edge, you can sometimes use Force Push to move an opponent’s unit off of the table destroying it completely no matter how much health it has left.

This upgrad can also be used defensively to move an enemy unit away from an objective so that it is easier to score for you. You can also use this to move an opponent’s unit out of melee allowing you to move back to safety or push on without worry about the unit that engaged you.

Rules Update 1.2.0 - Force Push can no longer be used to move a unit off of the field

Available In:

Upgrade Summary:

For 10 points and a generator slot this upgrade allows you to add 1 black die and the Impact 1 keyword to your to an attack while from a weapon with fixed front, in exchange for exhausting the card.

Upgrade Analysis:

1 black dice is either .5 or .625 damage depending on if the unit using it converts surges. However the Impact 1 keyword is quite powerful, and the main point in adding this upgrade to an attack. Adding another instance of Impact to the results of your attack can be quite devastating to an opponent’s vehicle units especially in lists that are lacking Impact in other places.

Suggested Use:

This upgrade is recommended for lists that might be short on armor punching and need additional ways to deal with the opponents vehicles. Keep in mind that because this exhausts to function, it pairs well with other abilities that exhaust - increasing the efficiency of your recover actions.

Available In:

Upgrade Summary:

For 10 points and a generator slot this upgrade allows you to add 2 white die and the Suppressive keyword to your to an attack while from a weapon with fixed front, in exchange for exhausting the card.

Upgrade Analysis:

2 white dice is either .5 or .75 damage depending on if the unit using it converts surges. However the Suppressive keyword is quite powerful, and the main point in adding this upgrade to an attack. Adding another suppression to the results of your attack can be quite devastating to an opponent’s troopers and very effective at keeping them at bay or even getting them to turn and run.

Suggested Use:

This upgrade is recommended for lists that might be short on activations and need additional ways to slow down the opponents troops - or fits nicely into a list whose primary game plan is to suppress and control the opponent. Keep in mind that Suppressive is a keyword that does not stack so no matter how many instances of it you have, you still only add one additional suppression. Also keep in mind that because this exhausts to function, it pairs well with other abilities that exhaust - increasing the efficiency of your recover actions.

Available In:

Upgrade Summary:

For 4 points and a training slot this upgrade allows you to add a red die to your melee attack while your unit is damaged or has had a model destroyed.

Upgrade Analysis:

At 4 points Tenacity is cheap for a training upgrade slot, and adding a red die in melee is quite valuable - but the additional cost of having a wounded warrior can be steep.

Suggested Use:

This upgrade is recommended on every melee centric unit that can take it, especially if they are multi-wound models. The function is quite straight forward, but the added attrition value and damage output of the unit greatly outweighs the 4 point cost on the right unit.

Available In:

Upgrade Summary:

For 6 points and a training slot this upgrade allows you to gain an aim token when you declare an attack against a wounded trooper unit target.

Upgrade Analysis:

At 6 points Hunter is expensive for an upgrade but average for a training upgrade slot - however gaining a free aim token is quite valuable in terms of action economy and on the right unit can be quite consequential.

Suggested Use:

This upgrade is recommended on most units if you have the spare points, but can be invaluable on the right unit. Keep in mind that although you gain the token upon declaring the wounded unit as a target you don’t have to use the token against that unit - making Hunter more valuable on units with Arsenal or units that can split fire.

Available In:

Upgrade Summary:

For 8 points and a training slot this upgrade allows you to take a suppression during the apply dodge and cover step.

Upgrade Analysis:

At 8 points Duck and Cover is expensive for an upgrade but not much above average for a training upgrade slot - especially for one that has a steep built in cost to use, however it is incredibly useful and generally worth its cost. This upgrade allows you to voluntarily take a suppression when being attacked- this might seem like a down side, but it also gives you the cover bonus for being suppressed allowing you to avoid extra damage. Understanding the timing of this upgrade is also crucial to its value. You decide if you want to take the suppression during the apply dodge and cover step of the attack, meaning that you get to see what the opponent rolls for their attack before deciding, meaning you don’t have to take the suppression if you opponent rolls poorly. Also keep in mind that this doesn’t replace the suppression you receive from being targeted by a successful attack, so if you do use Duck and Cover you will have gained 2 suppression by the time the attack is over.

Suggested Use:

This upgrade is highly recommended on certain units, especially units that have Low Profile or a courage value of 3 or more. These units will get the most use out of this upgrade by either increasing their cover 1 from supression to cover 2, or by being minimally affected by the added suppression and less likely to panic.

Available In:

One of the key elements of list building and strategy in Star Wars: Legion is the balance of quality and quantity.

Many people have posited that the more activations you have in a list the more of a competitive edge you have over your opponent, while others assert that some of the more expensive units are untouchable by small unit spam and that they have the competitive edge; and the fact is that neither is right - but neither is wrong either despite these two philosophies being at odds with each other. There is a spectrum and balancing game to the quantity vs quality of Legion list building; and understanding the strengths and weaknesses of each aspect as well as your personal play style is what is required for the true list building advantage.

There is a strong argument to be made in the case of activation spam. More activations after all means that you have an advantage in deployment, being able to deploy less significant units first and then able to counter deploy key units against the opponents key units giving you a favorable matchups between units during the game. Similarly more activations gives you an advantage during the game allowing you to postpone your valuable units until the opponents activations are spent, allowing you to activate those units with impunity. More activations also gives you an advantage in certain scenarios that count number of units towards win conditions, such as Intercept, Breakthrough, and Key Positions.

Expensive elite units also have a strong argument for the competitive advantage they bring. Elite units often throw around enough fire power to end small units in a single attack, while also being durable enough to survive several rounds of attacks from small units (if the small units can even scratch their defenses at all). Elite units also tend to have keywords and abilities that specialize them and make them excel in situations. An advantage that can’t be made up for with a difference in sheer volume or numbers, which gives them another area that they can out compete generic units in giving them the edge.

They both have their drawback though…

Unit spam might have the upper hand in activations, but against elite units that can sometimes mean very little. Small units are eliminated relatively quickly and easily compared to their more expensive counterparts - likewise they tend to throw few dice themselves, meaning that they often can’t overcome the constants in the game such as Heavy Cover and dodge. Activation spam also has to stretch itself across multiple unit types to get a high enough number of units, meaning that often activation spam can’t completely control its order of activations and can often trip over itself when it finds that its command cards don’t cover everything it needs.

Elite units are expensive so you get fewer and can have trouble projecting control over enough area of the board, giving the opponent control over where engagements happen and control of the objective in certain scenarios. Elite units also can put out a large amount of damage, but only to one unit at a time meaning that often you will be overkilling small units and wasting work - or allowing several other units to go unchecked.

Assuming that your intention is not to skew all the way into one aspect or the other, the obvious solution is to balance the two. A well balanced army will often have an element of elite units who are hard to deal with and specialized in situations as well as a sizeable amount of spammable units to cover the weaknesses of the elite units as well as to offset the opponents activation count or push the advantage of their low activations… bringing balance to the list.

One of the hardest things to do is know when a list is balanced on this spectrum, as it will be different for every players style as well as change for each opponent they face - so here are some general guidelines and starting points.

General Guidelines for Building a Balanced List

340~ points of elite units (Weiss ATST and Veers, Veers and three bikes, Han with Leia and Chewie, etc.)

120~ points of flex to shape more towards your playstyle and army strengths (keep in mind rebels will tend to skew quantity and imperials will tend to skew quality, but that isn’t a hard and fast rule).

every unit should either throw enough dice or have enough keyword abilities to deal 1 damage on average with every attack against units in heavy cover or with Armor.

The two aspects of your list (quality and quantity) should ideally support each other in some way

Again these are just general guidelines and suggestions to help you build and check your list before you play a game. If you play the list several times and it is not performing as you envisioned, make a change.

Scout Troopers are Imperial special forces and vanguards, better trained and more self-sufficient than their infantry counterparts, but lighter armored to help keep them mobile. They are trained and equipped to be independent in most roles on the battlefield. The Strike Team variant is a small squat focused on delivering a specialized weapon to the battlefield. In Star Wars: Legion the Scout Troopers are the Empires first elite unit option. Their training and equipment make them self-sufficient and versatile in many different roles - and as such see specialized use in the Imperial forces.

Base Unit Summary:

Damage Output - Ranged: Average: 2

Damage Consistency - Ranged: Above Average: Sharpshooter 1

Damage Output - Melee: Below Average: 1

Damage Consistency - Melee: Average: N/A

Damage Resistance: Below Average: 33.4%

Wounds: Below Average: 2

Attrition: Average: 1/figure

Range: Below Average: 1-2

Speed: Average: 2

Courage: Above Average: 2

Role: Upgrade Dependent

Unit Role:

Scout Troopers are elite skirmishing units. They are able to hold a zone or flank on their own with minimal to no support and can handle any job given to them. The Strike Team’s role depends on how they are equipped.

Base Unit Analysis:

The base unit of Scout Troopers are a bit deceptive at first glance, after equipping their mandatory special weapon they come out to about 40 points and are more or less average in that space - they have average damage but high damage throughput and below average survivability which tends to balance out. Unlike the base Scout Trooper unit, the Strike Team must take a special weapon upgrade and those upgrades change how the unit functions. Their other upgrades also change the efficiency of the unit - for example, the Scout Troopers have below average damage resistance but if they are equipped with Duck and Cover they can benefit from heavy cover even out in the open raising their damage resistance from 33.4% to 66.7% or above average (against weapons without Blast or Sharpshooter). Additionally if we add on the Sniper we find that they become incredibly specialized at long range damage and when considering the Sharpshooter 1 and Pierce 1 keywords we find that they are delivering a greatly above average amount of damage against units in light or heavy cover and a moderately above average amount of damage against units with no cover. So we find that Scout Troopers despite being expensive are a rather efficient unit when they when selecting the optimal target and situation for their upgrades.

Unique Upgrade Analysis:

DLT-19x Sniper: The DLT-19x is a really interesting weapon for a troop unit. Its damage output is low compared to other special weapons (especially for its points) at just 1 expected damage (vs 1.8), but its keywords and unlimited range almost ensure that that damage is going through on the target of your choice making it on par if not more efficient over the course of an entire game. Sharpshooter 1 and High Velocity means that even if the target is in light cover with a dodge token the damage is getting through. If the target is in heavy cover you will need to roll 2 hits or a crit to get the damage through still... and Pierce 1 means that if you overcome their cover then the damage is bypassing their armor. Because of the unlimited range on this weapon however you are likely able to take an aim action when attacking a key target raising the weapons damage significantly to 1.5 and almost to average for special weapons. Because of how all of these factors come together the DLT-19x is an efficient weapon when used against the appropriate targets and is a recommended upgrade for the Commandos.

Sonic Charge Saboteur: The Sonic Charge is an interesting weapon and needs a little explaining being the first Arm/Detonate weapon in the game. As an action the Scouts can place a charge at range 1 and in LoS, however this is not an attack action so the Scouts can place a charge and fire their weapons in the same activation (even the saboteur). Then after every action that happens, anywhere on the table, in LoS of the Scouts or not, there is a response window for the Scouts to detonate the charge initiating a ranged attack against every unit within range 1 of the charge. Note that this window to detonate is after every action including the one used to set it, so you can toss it out and detonate it immediately, but since it is at range 1 the Scouts will hit themselves with the blast. It is also important to remember that any friendly unit with the Detonate: Sonic Charge ability can detonate charges, it doesn't have to be the unit who placed the charge. But now more about how this upgrade affects the unit; The Saboteur alters the overall efficiency of the unit changing the units expected damage output from 4 to 5 however he gives them a new way to play which drastically changes their role on in the battle. The charge itself does an expected 1.5 damage to every unit within range 1, meaning its effectiveness can be massive. The Proton Charges can add a psychological threat to the enemies units and subtly control how and where the enemy moves. It can also strongly deter enemies from clustering together and make them cautious to approach key areas. The Suppressive keyword also means that although this charge isn’t as threatening to all units on the table like the Rebel counterpart, it is extra terrifying to any troopers as one detonation can suppress most units or even panic them. Because of this the Saboteur is a more complicated piece to use than the Sniper, but potentially much more effective and is therefore a situationally recommended upgrade.

Suggested Upgrades:

The Strike Team have upgrade slots for a Special Weapon, Training, Comm, Gear, and Grenade upgrade card. This makes them one of the most customizable units to date.

The Special Weapon is mandatory and the one they take will dictate how you want to use them and what their role on the battlefield will be. In general it is best to skip all upgrades on Strike Teams other than the special weapon, however if you have points to spare here are some considerations.

The Training upgrade options tend to be expensive but have strong abilities.. If you are equipping a sniper to the unit it is a good idea to consider taking the Hunter upgrade, otherwise taking Duck and Cover to improve the units damage resistance is a strong choice.

The Comms upgrade is not essential for Scouts and one to consider skipping. However if you are playing a lot of command cards with issue order effects you can include HQ Uplink on the Scout to really push the efficiency of that card. For example if you are using Veer’s Imperial Discipline you can activate HQ uplink to gain the free recovery removing all suppression and readying HQ uplink in addition to the units who are issued orders and recover normally.

The Gear upgrade is also a non-essential slot for Scouts and can be skipped if short on points. However if you are playing a Sniper with Hunter consider taking Targeting Scopes as well. It may also be worth considering Emergency Stims on this unit as their survivability can be less than what you are used to on normal Imperial units and that last activation before they are defeated can be crucial

The Grenade upgrade is another place you can save points on the Scouts since the grenades will decrease your damage output. The Concussion grenades are only improving your cover reduction by 1 since Scouts already have Sharpshooter 1 and reducing your overall damage output so they are actually a detriment. Impact Grenades are a useful consideration if your army is otherwise lacking in ways to deal with Armor, but as an Empire force these probably shouldn’t be necessary either.

When Upgrading the Strike Team it is very easy to over equip them. Ideally when playing them you will keep the Scouts under 50 points at the most to keep their efficiency, if possible depending on the role you need them to fill and your playstyle.

Wave 3 Update:

With the addition of wave 3 expansions the Scout Troopers now have access to several new and useful upgrade options, although none of them are recommended on the two man strike team.

Suggested Tactics:

Scout Strike Teams can be as simple or complicated as you would like them to be and although a skirmishing unit, they can play in two different styles depending on the special weapon you chose, so I will address them in two general styles; Snipers & Saboteurs.

When playing the Scouts as a sniper unit you can play them fairly basically, as you would any other corps troop unit. But keep in mind that the sniper has unlimited range when you split fire and that the unit is at its most efficient against targets in cover. There are some interesting things to consider when playing Scout snipers over regular corps troops though. Because they have a courage value of 2 they can run fairly independently along a flank without greatly reduced risk of panicking. if you want to get fancier with them (and why wouldn't you?!) you can run them as skirmishers further away from your main force and harassing the enemy from hard opportune positions. Keep in mind that the Scouts pistol is much shorter range than average Imperial weaponry and their armor is much thinner, meaning you will have to be clever in figuring out ways to deliver them if you want to get their full damage output - whether that is behind LoS blocking terrain or having more threatening units moving along with them. But most people will play them at extreme long range to avoid putting them at risk and there is nothing wrong with that.

When playing the Strike Team as a saboteur unit you can also play them simply like any other corps troop unit, however they play much differently when you start to utilize them fully. Unlike the sniper variant the saboteurs will want to be right in the middle of the action to maximize the threat on their range 1 charges. Ideally the saboteurs will find a place near an objective using their Scout 1 ability to get there before the enemy, and then cover the enemies approach in as many charges as possible. This should discourage the enemy from approaching and hopefully funnel them into tighter lanes of fire for the rest of your forces to concentrate on. If the opponent chooses to proceed through the charged area anyways it is very important to keep in mind that you have a window to detonate after every action, so don’t get greedy. It is better to wait and see if the opponent will put more units into the area before detonating - the more units you can hit with one charge the more valuable the saboteurs are. There are also some fun tricks to keep in the back of your head when playing saboteurs - firstly any friendly unit with the Detonate: Sonic Charge ability can detonate and friendly charge of the matching name. This encourages saboteurs to be brought in multiples, when one dies the other can still make use of the existing charges. The second neat trick is that the range 1 on your charge isn't always a detriment. Although the normal action pattern for the saboteurs is to place a charge and then move away and detonate it, if you are able to get a dodge token either through a command card or an action it can sometimes be beneficial to place a charge and take the blast. The expected damage on a charge is 1.5 - if you have a dodge token that would be reduced to .5 however because the charge surges to crit and you can’t dodge crits the actual number is .625 damage meaning you are almost at a coin flip to have 1 wound go through that you still get your 33.4% chance to save against - which means your actual chance of suffering damage is 33.3%. So if you have a dodge token you can drop a bomb at the feet of an enemy unit (maybe even multiple) and detonate it immediately possibly dealing .333 damage to yourself and 1.5 damage to the enemy, giving you both two suppression which means that they are likely to lose an action or panic, but because the saboteurs have already acted that’s not a concern however they now benefit from Low Profile increasing their suppression into heavy cover... and if you are able to get the dodge token without taking an action you can also shoot meaning you potentially deal 6.5 damage and give yourself heavy cover at the 33.3% risk of taking 1 wound. That is a very efficient activation if you can get it to happen.

Another fun trick to keep in mind is that ground vehicles such as the AT-ST provide light cover which the Scouts upgrade to heavy cover, meaning that the Scouts can advance behind an AT-ST for mobile heavy cover keeping them safe but still mobile and able to get up close to do the work you need them to do.

Counter Tactics:

Because Scouts can be played in two different ways we need to talk about two different ways to counter them.

When up against a sniper unit who is generally going to be further from the your main forces it is best to hit them with your own infinite range weapons if you can such as Coordinated Bombardment or Maximum Firepower- Ignoring the Strike Team snipers is not as solid of a plan as ignoring the Scout snipers. if you do choose to ignore them then the opponent has spend 50ish points on what amounts to 1 damage and 1 suppression a turn which is pretty efficient and can really add up over the course of the game. If you are able to flush them out with your own flankers such as Bikes, Fett, or the T-47 you should but keep in mind the hierarchy of threats your opponent has. Although their consistent damage is annoying and will add up over the course of the game, their low damage output and distance away means that there will generally be more pressing units to deal with. The best outcome if you don’t have long range weapons or fast flankers to safely deal with them is to keep the fight on at the objectives and use LoS blocking terrain to hide your critical units as much as possible… the snipers infinite range means you are unlikely to be able to prevent them from getting a shot every round, but you can give them less desirable shots if you use terrain well.

When up against a saboteur unit how to handle them depends on the objective and terrain. If it is an objective that doesn't require you to move to them then don't - engage them at a distance and they are wildly inefficient for their points. If it is a scenario where you do have to approach them then they should be your main focus (permitting that other units aren't more immediately threatening). In a scenario where you have to approach the enemy, the more turns the saboteurs have to prepare the more dangerous they become. If you are unable to remove the saboteurs before you have to make your push through their charged area try and do it with armored vehicle units first as they will take little if any damage and no suppression, and try to not pile up your units in one area, but don’t be afraid of having a charge detonate on one unit as it isn't a ton of damage (although the out of turn attack and suppression can be disruptive). If it seems like the opponent may be sending them in to make a suicide bomb run then you can use their low health and damage resistance against them - a well placed stand by can end them before they get close enough to drop the bomb on your forces.

Scout Troopers are Imperial special forces and vanguards, better trained and more self-sufficient than their infantry counterparts, but lighter armored to help keep them mobile. They are trained and equipped to be independent in most roles on the battlefield. In Star Wars: Legion the Scout Troopers are the Empires first elite unit option. Their training and equipment make them self-sufficient and versatile in many different roles - and as such see specialized use in the Imperial forces.

Base Unit Summary:

Damage Output - Ranged: Above Average: 4

Damage Consistency - Ranged: Above Average: Sharpshooter 1

Damage Output - Melee: Below Average: 2

Damage Consistency - Melee: Average: N/A

Damage Resistance: Below Average: 33.4%

Wounds: Average: 4

Attrition: Average: 1/figure

Range: Below Average: 1-2

Speed: Average: 2

Courage: Above Average: 2

Role: Skirmisher

Unit Role:

Scout Troopers are elite skirmishing units. They are able to hold a zone or flank on their own with minimal to no support and can handle any job given to them.

Base Unit Analysis:

The base unit of Scout Troopers are a bit deceptive at first glance, they fall in-between the 40 and 80 point bench marks and are more or less average in that space - they have above average damage but below average survivability which tends to balance out and in many ways operate like Rebel Fleet Troopers. Unlike their Rebel Commandos counterpart, you wouldn’t be wrong to consider fielding the Scout Troopers without a special weapon or upgrades - but most people probably will and those upgrades change the unit drastically. For example, the Scout Troopers have below average damage resistance but if they are equipped with Duck and Cover they can benefit from heavy cover even out in the open raising their damage resistance from 33.4% to 66.7% or above average (against weapons without Blast or Sharpshooter). Additionally if we add on the Sniper to the unit we raise the points from 60 to 88 putting them clear into the 80 point metric, and we find that their average damage increases from 4 to 5 however the increase in points does change their efficiency down slightly but it remains above average. However when considering the Sharpshooter 1 and Pierce 1 keywords we find that they are actually delivering a greatly above average amount of damage against units in light or heavy cover and a moderately above average amount of damage against units with no cover. Keep in mind though that their lower than average range means you will have to work harder to deliver their above average damage. So we find that Scout Troopers despite being expensive are a rather efficient unit when they make it into range.

Unique Upgrade Analysis:

DLT-19x Sniper: The DLT-19x is a really interesting weapon for a troop unit. Its damage output is low compared to other special weapons (especially for its points) at just 1 expected damage (vs 1.8), but its keywords and unlimited range almost ensure that that damage is going through on the target of your choice making it on par if not more efficient over the course of an entire game. Sharpshooter 1 and High Velocity means that even if the target is in light cover with a dodge token the damage is getting through. If the target is in heavy cover you will need to roll 2 hits or a crit to get the damage through still... and Pierce 1 means that if you overcome their cover then the damage is bypassing their armor. Because of the unlimited range on this weapon however you are likely able to take an aim action when attacking a key target raising the weapons damage significantly to 1.5 and almost to average for special weapons. Because of how all of these factors come together the DLT-19x is an efficient weapon when used against the appropriate targets and is a recommended upgrade for the Commandos.

Sonic Charge Saboteur: The Sonic Charge is an interesting weapon and needs a little explaining being the first Arm/Detonate weapon in the game. As an action the Scouts can place a charge at range 1 and in LoS, however this is not an attack action so the Scouts can place a charge and fire their weapons in the same activation (even the saboteur). Then after every action that happens, anywhere on the table, in LoS of the Scouts or not, there is a response window for the Scouts to detonate the charge initiating a ranged attack against every unit within range 1 of the charge. Note that this window to detonate is after every action including the one used to set it, so you can toss it out and detonate it immediately, but since it is at range 1 the Scouts will hit themselves with the blast. It is also important to remember that any friendly unit with the Detonate: Sonic Charge ability can detonate charges, it doesn't have to be the unit who placed the charge. But now more about how this upgrade affects the unit; The Saboteur alters the overall efficiency of the unit changing the units expected damage output from 4 to 5 however he gives them a new way to play which drastically changes their role on in the battle. The charge itself does an expected 1.5 damage to every unit within range 1, meaning its effectiveness can be massive. The Proton Charges can add a psychological threat to the enemies units and subtly control how and where the enemy moves. It can also strongly deter enemies from clustering together and make them cautious to approach key areas. The Suppressive keyword also means that although this charge isn’t as threatening to all units on the table like the Rebel counterpart, it is extra terrifying to any troopers as one detonation can suppress most units or even panic them. Because of this the Saboteur is a more complicated piece to use than the Sniper, but potentially much more effective and is therefore a situationally recommended upgrade.

Suggested Upgrades:

The Scout Troopers have upgrade slots for a Special Weapon, Training, Comm, Gear, and Grenade upgrade card. This makes them one of the most customizable units to date.

The Special Weapon they take will dictate how you want to use them and what their role on the battlefield will be, and as such should be your first decision when upgrading them.

The Training upgrade options tend to be expensive but have strong abilities. If you are equipping a sniper to the unit it is a good idea to consider taking the Hunter upgrade, otherwise taking Duck and Cover to improve the units damage resistance is a strong choice.

The Comms upgrade is not essential for Scouts and one to consider skipping. However if you are playing a lot of command cards with issue order effects you can include HQ Uplink on the Scout to really push the efficiency of that card. For example if you are using Veer’s Imperial Discipline you can activate HQ uplink to gain the free recovery removing all suppression and readying HQ uplink in addition to the units who are issued orders and recover normally.

The Gear upgrade is also a non-essential slot for Scouts and can be skipped if short on points. However if you are playing a Sniper with Hunter consider taking Targeting Scopes as well. It may also be worth considering Emergency Stims on this unit as their survivability can be less than what you are used to on normal Imperial units and that last activation before they are defeated can be crucial

The Grenade upgrade is another place you can save points on the Scouts since the grenades will decrease your damage output. The Concussion grenades are only improving your cover reduction by 1 since Scouts already have Sharpshooter 1 and reducing your overall damage output so they are actually a detriment. Impact Grenades are a useful consideration if your army is otherwise lacking in ways to deal with Armor, but as an Empire force these probably shouldn’t be necessary either.

When Upgrading the Scouts it is very easy to over equip them, although they are already rather efficient so you have some room to play with their upgrades, especially any upgrades that help deliver them more consistently. Ideally when playing them you will keep the Commandos under 100 points at the most to keep their efficiency, if possible depending on the role you need them to fill and your playstyle.

Wave 3 Update:

With the addition of wave 3 expansions the Scout Troopers now have access to several new and useful upgrade options.

Fragmentation Grenades: These are incredibly strong on your troops. unlike the Commandos it is recommended on the Saboteur build and on the Sniper build because of the shorter range of the Scouts main gun. Frag Grenades change the 5 man units damage output from 4 to 4.375, however if you only through one Frag Grenade for the surge to crit ability and the rest fire their pistols their damage output is now 5.875!

Suggested Tactics:

Scouts can be as simple or complicated as you would like them to be and although a skirmishing unit, they can play in two different styles depending on the special weapon you chose, so I will address them in two general styles; Snipers & Saboteurs.

Unequipped Scout Troopers are not very survivable and their weapons are short range, they should avoid situations where they are able to be shot without being able to shoot back. Keeping them hidden behind LoS blocking terrain until the enemy is close enough to engage is a reliable strategy; keep this in mind when choosing where to deploy them as well. Although LoS blocking terrain is your most predictable way of getting Fleet Troopers into the fight, there are better ways. If you are able to get Rapid Reinforcements or Limited Visibility conditions for the mission, you are able to get the unit to where they need to be with almost no chance of retaliation. Under the Limited Visibility condition you will want to rush them forward into defensible positions as you normally would, however you can be a little more daring with the added range limitations. With Rapid Reinforcements the Scout Troopers are air dropped right where you want them to be, usually behind enemy lines although it could be near an objective too, where they can cause havoc and huge amounts of damage forcing the enemy to turn around and deal with them.

When playing the Scouts as a sniper unit you can play them fairly basically, as you would any other corps troop unit. But keep in mind that the sniper has unlimited range when you split fire and that the unit is at its most efficient against targets in cover. There are some interesting things to consider when playing Scout snipers over regular corps troops though. Because they have a courage value of 2 they can run fairly independently along a flank without greatly reduced risk of panicking. if you want to get fancier with them (and why wouldn't you?!) you can run them as skirmishers further away from your main force and harassing the enemy from hard opportune positions. because they don’t panic until 4 and have a strong chance of rallying they combo well with HQ Uplink allowing them to give themselves an order when needed as well as doubling the effectiveness of a ready action by removing the suppression and refreshing HQ Uplink. Whether you took HQ uplink or not, flanking is primarily how you will want to play the sniper variant. Another strong combo with them is the Hunter upgrade, with the sniper you can split fire targeting a wounded trooper gaining an aim token, you can then fire the rest of the squad at different target using that aim token... and freeing up your other action you would have used to aim to move instead or even get an additional aim token - making this build very action efficient. Keep in mind that the Scouts pistol is much shorter range than average Imperial weaponry and their armor is much thinner, meaning you will have to be clever in figuring out ways to deliver them - whether that is behind LoS blocking terrain or having more threatening units moving along with them.

When playing the Scouts as a saboteur unit you can also play them simply like any other corps troop unit, however they play much differently when you start to utilize them fully. Unlike the sniper variant the saboteurs will want to be right in the middle of the action to maximize the threat on their range 1 charges. Ideally the saboteurs will find a place near an objective using their Scout 1 ability to get there before the enemy, and then cover the enemies approach in as many charges as possible. This should discourage the enemy from approaching and hopefully funnel them into tighter lanes of fire for the rest of your forces to concentrate on. If the opponent chooses to proceed through the charged area anyways it is very important to keep in mind that you have a window to detonate after every action, so don’t get greedy. It is better to wait and see if the opponent will put more units into the area before detonating - the more units you can hit with one charge the more valuable the saboteurs are. There are also some fun tricks to keep in the back of your head when playing saboteurs - firstly any friendly unit with the Detonate: Sonic Charge ability can detonate and friendly charge of the matching name. This encourages saboteurs to be brought in multiples, when one dies the other can still make use of the existing charges. The second neat trick is that the range 1 on your charge isn't always a detriment. Although the normal action pattern for the saboteurs is to place a charge and then move away and detonate it, if you are able to get a dodge token either through a command card or an action it can sometimes be beneficial to place a charge and take the blast. The expected damage on a charge is 1.5 - if you have a dodge token that would be reduced to .5 however because the charge surges to crit and you can’t dodge crits the actual number is .625 damage meaning you are almost at a coin flip to have 1 wound go through that you still get your 33.4% chance to save against - which means your actual chance of suffering damage is 33.3%. So if you have a dodge token you can drop a bomb at the feet of an enemy unit (maybe even multiple) and detonate it immediately possibly dealing .333 damage to yourself and 1.5 damage to the enemy, giving you both two suppression which means that they are likely to lose an action or panic, but because the saboteurs have already acted that’s not a concern however they now benefit from Low Profile increasing their suppression into heavy cover... and if you are able to get the dodge token without taking an action you can also shoot meaning you potentially deal 6.5 damage and give yourself heavy cover at the 33.3% risk of taking 1 wound. That is a very efficient activation if you can get it to happen.

Another fun trick to keep in mind is that ground vehicles such as the AT-ST provide light cover which the Scouts upgrade to heavy cover, meaning that the Scouts can advance behind an AT-ST for mobile heavy cover keeping them safe but still mobile and able to get up close to do the work you need them to do.

Counter Tactics:

Because Scouts can be played in two different ways we need to talk about two different ways to counter them.

When up against a sniper unit who is generally going to be further from the opponent’s main forces it is best to ignore them if you can, staying at range 3 or beyond - if you are able to do this then the opponent spent nearly 100 points on what amounts to 1 damage and 1 suppression a turn which is hugely inefficient and it allows you to focus your work elsewhere giving you a large attrition lead. If the sniper unit gets more into the mix then engage them as you would any other troop unit, especially with weapons that ignore or bypass their cover / low profile if you are able. Their low damage output means that they are primarily paying for their versatility and their independence and if they are not using those then you also have a small attrition lead in points.

When up against a saboteur unit how to handle them depends on the objective and terrain. If it is an objective that doesn't require you to move towards them then don't - engage them at a distance and they are wildly inefficient for their points. If it is a scenario where you do have to approach them then they should be your main focus (permitting that other units aren't more immediately threatening). In a scenario where you have to approach the enemy, the more turns the saboteurs have to prepare the more dangerous they become. If you are unable to remove the saboteurs before you have to make your push through their charged area try and do it with armored vehicle units first as they will shrug off most of the damage and not take any of the suppression, and try to not pile up your units in one area, but don’t be afraid of having a charge detonate on one unit as it isn't a ton of damage (although the out of turn attack and tons of suppression can be very disruptive).

The E-Web Heavy Blaster Team is a crew operated emplacement guns so large that they take considerable effort to be moved by hand. The E-Web Heavy Blaster is the Empire’s second support unit and is ideal for forces that need a little help controlling troops or guarding an area.

Base Unit Summary:

Damage Output - Ranged: Average: 2.875

Damage Consistency - Ranged: Above Average: surge to crit

Damage Output - Melee: Below Average: 1.25

Damage Consistency - Melee: Above Average: surge to crit

Damage Resistance: Average: 50%

Wounds: Average: 4

Attrition: Above Average: 4/figure

Range: Average: 1-3

Speed: Below Average: 1

Courage: Above Average: 2

Role: Ranged Damage, Area Control

Unit Role:

The E-Web Heavy Blaster is a low mobility emplacement weapon platform, its primary job is putting out a consistent amount of firepower turn after turn in a focused area.

Base Unit Analysis:

The E-Web is of average survivability with 4 health, and its damage is slightly below average (by 0.125 points). However its attrition value means it will get more big attacks throughout a game because it will need to take 4 wounds before you slow its damage dealing. So although its turn by turn damage is a little low, over the course of an entire game its efficiency is actually very high. The E-Web also has the new keyword Sentinel meaning it can use its standby tokens from a much greater distance, increasing its opportunity to take the optimal attack each round and increasing its ability to control and protect an area.

Unique Upgrade Analysis:

The E-Web Heavy Blaster has no unique upgrades at this time

Suggested Upgrades:

The E-Web has a Generator and a Comms upgrade slot. At 55 points it has a small amount of room to upgrade before it starts to become inefficient but most people will want to skip upgrading it.

The most common build for the E-Web other than no upgrades is a Barrage Generator to add suppressive and slightly increase the damage from 2.875 to 3.65. Because the generator exhausts to add the the damage and suppression most people also pair it with an HQ Uplink which allows you to activate the E-Web when you need it as well as to increase the efficiency of the recover action that you will need to take for the generator. However using the generator and recovering is slightly less efficient than taking a basic aim action.

The Overcharged Generator is also a valid option on the E Web, it is used in the same way as the Barrage Generator but it adds .625 damage instead of .75 and adds Impact 1 instead of the extra Suppressive - however the E-Webs innate surge to crit and the Empires easy access to Impact make this a less desirable upgrade.

Suggested Tactics:

Because the E-Web is so slow its tactics are pretty simple, however they must all be figured out before deployment which is the critical part.

In general the E-Web is best deployed where it can advance to and defend an objective - ideally in a location it can also claim that objective - the E-Web is a good candidate for Sabotage, Recover, Key Positions, and Intercept because of its high courage and desire to stay in one spot. Note that Emplacement Troopers cannot climb or clamber, so while you can deploy them on elevated terrain, if you do they cannot get down during the game. Sometimes the height advantage is worth the loss in mobility, but it is terrain and scenario dependent.

Once the E-Web has gotten into place it is going to more or less sit and put out damage and suppression. On turns that it can’t take a shot immediately it can stand by and wait for a unit to come into its extended sentinel range. However if you are using the HQ Uplink build you will rarely use stand by as you will be able to control when it activates each turn.

The most critical part of getting the most out of your E-Web is picking the appropriate target at the appropriate time whether that is finishing off an injured unit, punching some damage into a vehicle or suppressing an opponent’s crucial troops.

also keep in mind that Emplacement Troopers follow all of the rules of regular troopers in addition to the additional rules of Emplacement Troopers. So the E-Webn can capture objective and even deploy via the Rapid Reinforcements condition card.

another often overlooked strategy is taking a standby action on the E-Web. the E-Web has both the Plodding and Cumbersome keywords meaning it can only move once per activation, and cannot shoot and move in the same activation. however abilities that grant out of activation moves and attacks such as standby circumvent both keywords. So an E-Web can move and then stand by, and when it’s stand by is triggered it can use that action to either move again or shoot. because it is not during an activation that it moved, it is not limited by either keywords.

Counter Tactics:

When playing against an E-Web Heavy Blaster without upgrades it doesn’t pose any more of a threat than an equivalent unit of Stormtroopers. If it is a Barrage Generator variant it will rank much higher on your threat list and will need to be dealt with or it will suppress and shut down your units. You can engage these like any other basic corps unit, but keep in mind that because it has such a high attrition value it doesn’t slow down until it is completely dead unlike normal units - so once you commit to engaging it you should finish in in one turn or you have wasted effort. Unlike the 1.4 FD Laser Canon it is a small figure and likely to get cover from buildings and barricades, in addition to its red defense dice this makes it much more effort to defeat. although its lower health makes it a bit more reasonable. If you can catch it in the open it should take 2 average units 1 turn to defeat, or 1 basic unit 2 turns. If it gets into heavy cover it can become much more difficult to remove and should try to be flanked or engaged with a unit that ignores cover if possible.

1.4 FD Laser Canons are crew operated emplacement guns so large that they cant be moved by hand. They are long range and pack quite a punch. The 1.4 FD Laser Canon is the rebellions second support unit and is ideal for forces that need a little help punching armor or guarding an area.

Base Unit Summary: (80 pt unit comparison)

Damage Output - Ranged: Below Average: 3.125

Damage Consistency - Ranged: Above Average: Impact 2

Damage Output - Melee: Below Average: 1.25

Damage Consistency - Melee: Average: N/A

Damage Resistance: Below Average: 33.4%

Wounds: Average: 6

Attrition: Above Average: 6/figure

Range: Above Average: 1-4

Speed: Below Average: 0

Courage: Above Average: 2

Role: Long Range Damage, Area Control

Unit Role:

The 1.4 FD Laser Canon is a stationary weapons platform, its primary job is putting out a consistent amount of firepower turn after turn in a focused area.

Base Unit Analysis:

The 1.4 FD Laser Canon is quite durable with 6 health, and its damage is slightly below average (by 0.375 points). However the long range of the weapon means it will get more attacks through out a game and its high attrition value means it will need to take 6 wounds before you slow its damage dealing. So although its turn by turn damage is a little low, over the course of an entire game its efficiency is actually very high. It also brings long range Impact to the Rebel forces which is a welcome addition. The Laser Canon also has the new keyword Sentinel meaning it can use its standby tokens from a much greater distance, increasing its opportunity to take the optimal attack each round.

Unique Upgrade Analysis:

The 1.4 FD Laser Canon has no unique upgrades at this time

Suggested Upgrades:

The 1.4 FD Laser Canon has a Generator and a Comms upgrade slot. At 70 points it has some room to upgrade before it starts to become inefficient and most people will want to upgrade it.

The most common build for the Laser Canon other than no upgrades is an Overcharged Generator to improve the damage from 3.125 to 3.75 and increase Impact from 2 to 3. Because the generator exhausts to add the the damage and Impact most people also pair it with an HQ Uplink which allows you to activate the Laser Canon when you need it as well as to increase the efficiency of the recover action that you will need to take for the generator. However using the generator and recovering is slightly less efficient than aiming, The Laser Canon with an aim token is expected to do 4.08 damage with Impact 2 while an Overcharge Laser Canon does 3.75 with Impact 3 doing significantly more damage to armor.

The Barrage Generator is also a valid option on the laser canon, it is used in the same way as the Overcharged Generator but it adds .75 damage instead of .625 and adds suppressive instead of the extra Impact 1 - it just depends on what your army will need more help against - troops or armor.

also keep in mind that Emplacment Troopers follow all of the rules of regular troopers in addition to the additional rules of Emplacement Troopers. So the Laser Canon can capture objective and even deploy via the Rapid Reinforcements condition card.

Suggested Tactics:

Because the Laser Canon is stationary its tactics are pretty simple, however they must all be figured out before deployment which is the critical part.

In general the 1.4 FD Laser Canon is best deployed where it can defend an objective - ideally in a location it can also claim an objective (for example Intercept the Transmissions and Major Offensive give it a place it can deploy and claim an objective from).

Once the game has begun the Laser Canon is going to sit in one place and put out damage. On turns that it cant take a shot immediately it can stand by and wait for a unit to come into its extended stand by range. However if you are using the HQ Uplink build you will rarely use stand by as you will be able to control when it activates each turn.

The most critical part of getting the most out of your Laser Canon is picking the appropriate target at the appropriate time whether that is finishing off an injured unit, punching some damage into a vehicle or suppressing an opponents crucial troops.

Counter Tactics:

When playing against a 1.4 FD Laser Canon how high of a threat it is to you and how high of a priority it is depends on your list composition, terrain, and scenario. If terrain and objective placement permits, you could go an entire game without it contributing due to immobility and LoS blocking terrain. However if it is in a position where you cant ignore it, the best way to deal with it is to focus fire on it. It is so large that it is unlikely to get cover, and its action economy means it is unlikely to take a dodge. which means that you can expect two average units to destroy it in one turn, or one average unit to destroy it in two turns. Don’t leave it to do its job though or it will give the opponent a significant attrition lead.

Rebel Commandos are the rebel special forces, better trained and prepared than their infantry counterparts. They are trained and equipped to be self-sufficient in their role on the battlefield. The strike team deploys in a squad of two men focused primarily on the special weapon they bring to the engagement. In Star Wars: Legion the Rebel Commandos are the Rebels first elite unit option. Their training and equipment make them self-sufficient and versatile in many different roles - and as such see specialized use in the Rebel forces.

Base Unit Summary: (40 point unit)

Damage Output - Ranged: Below Average: 1.25

Damage Consistency - Ranged: Above Average: Sharpshooter 1

Damage Output - Melee: Below Average: 1.25

Damage Consistency - Melee: Average: N/A

Damage Resistance: Below Average: 33.4%

Wounds: Below Average: 2

Attrition: Average: 1/figure

Range: Average: 1-3

Speed: Average: 2

Courage: Above Average: 2

Role: Upgrade Dependent

Unit Role:

Rebel Commando Strike Teams are elite units specializing in different roles depending on the weapon they bring. They are able to hold a zone with charges or pin down and assassinate enemy units from any distance with the sniper.

Base Unit Analysis:

The base unit of Strike Team are a bit awkward to analyze on their own, they come in around the 40 point benchmark after equipping the mandatory special weapon and their performance and role heavily depend on which weapon you take. For example, just like the Rebel Commandos the Strike Team have below average damage resistance but if they are equipped with Duck and Cover they can always benefit from heavy cover even out in the open raising their damage resistance from 33.4% to 66.7% or above average (against weapons without Blast or Sharpshooter). We will cover the two weapon options and their respective efficiency in detail further into the article.

Unique Upgrade Analysis:

DH-447 Sniper: The DH-447 is a really interesting weapon for a troop unit. Its damage output is low compared to other special weapons (especially for its points) at just 1 expected damage, but its keywords and unlimited range almost ensure that that damage is going through on the target of your choice. Sharpshooter 1 and High Velocity means that even if the target is in light cover with a dodge token the damage is getting through. If the target is in heavy cover you will need to roll 2 hits or a crit to get the damage through still... and Pierce 1 means that if you overcome their cover then the damage is bypassing their armor. Because of the unlimited range on this weapon however you are likely able to take an aim action when attacking a key target raising the weapons damage significantly to 1.47 and almost to average for special weapons. Because of how all of these factors come together the DH-447 is an efficient weapon when used against the appropriate targets and is a recommended upgrade for the Commandos.

Proton Charge Saboteur: The Proton Charge is an interesting weapon and needs a little explaining being the first Arm/Detonate weapon in the game. As an action the Commandos can place a charge at range 1 and in LoS, however this is not an attack action so the Commandos can place a charge and fire their weapons in the same activation (even the saboteur). Then after every action that happens, anywhere on the table, in LoS of the Commandos or not, there is a response window for the Commandos to detonate the charge initiating a ranged attack against every unit within range 1 of the charge. Note that this window to detonate is after every action including the one used to set it, so you can toss it out and detonate it immediately, but since it is at range 1 the Commandos will hit themselves with the blast. It is also important to remember that any friendly unit with the Detonate: Proton Charge ability can detonate charges, it doesn't have to be the unit who placed the charge. But now more about how this upgrade affects the unit; unlike the Commandos saboteur the Strike Team Saboteur increases the overall efficiency of the unit changing the units expected damage output from a below average 1.25 to an above average 2.875 and he gives them a new way to play which drastically changes their role on in the battle. The charge itself does an expected 1.625 damage to every unit within range 1, meaning its effectiveness can be massive. The Proton Charges can add a psychological threat to the enemies units and subtly control how and where the enemy moves. It can also strongly deter enemies from clustering together and make them cautious to approach key areas. Because of this the Saboteur is a more complicated piece to use than the Sniper, but potentially much more effective and is therefor a situationally recommended upgrade.

Suggested Upgrades:

The Strike Teams have upgrade slots for a Special Weapon, Training, Comm, Gear, and Grenade upgrade card. This makes them one of the most customizable units to date… however it is strongly cautioned to not take upgrades other than the special weapon as the unit is already pressed against the wall for efficiency and any additional upgrades need to be very well utilized to make up the points difference.

The Special Weapon is mandatory on the Strike Team and which one they take will dictate how you want to use them and what their role on the battlefield will be, and as such should be your first decision when upgrading them.

The Training upgrade options tend to be expensive but have strong abilities. If you are equipping a sniper to the unit it is a good idea to consider taking the Hunter upgrade, otherwise taking Duck and Cover to improve the units damage resistance is a strong choice.

The Comms upgrade is not essential for Commandos and one to consider skipping. However if you are playing a lot of command cards with issue order effects you can include HQ Uplink on the Commandos to really push the efficiency of that card. For example if you are using Leia's No Time for Sorrows you can also activate the Commando's HQ Uplink to gain the free move in addition to the units who are issued orders normally.

The Gear upgrade is also a non-essential slot for Commandos and can be skipped if short on points. However if you are playing a Sniper consider taking Hunter.

The Grenade upgrade is another place you can save points on the Commandos since the grenades won’t increase your damage output. The Concussion grenades are only improving your cover reduction by 1 since Commandos already have Sharpshooter 1. Impact Grenades are a good consideration if your army is otherwise lacking in ways to deal with Armor, but otherwise skip these as well.

When Upgrading the Strike Team it is very easy to overspend on them, keep in mind they are already up against the wall in terms of efficiency and the more upgrades you put on them the worse they get. Ideally when playing them you will keep the Commandos under 50 points at the most if possible depending on the role you need them to fill and your playstyle.

Wave 3 Update:

With the addition of wave 3 expansions the Rebel Commandos now have access to several new and useful upgrade options, although none of them are recommended on the 2 mand strike team.

Suggested Tactics:

Similar to the Commandos the Strike Teams can be as simple or complicated as you would like them to be and although less of a skirmishing unit they still play in two different styles depending on the special weapon you chose, so I will address them in two general styles; Snipers & Saboteurs.

When playing the Strike Team as a sniper unit you can play them fairly basically, as a long range damage dealer and suppression unit. Capitalizing on the sniper’s unlimited range you can fire at critical units that are threatening your other units or the objective. Remember that the sniper is it is at its most efficient against targets in cover light cover with a dodge token. Just like the Commandos there are some interesting things to consider when playing Commando snipers over regular corps troops though. Because they have a courage value of 2 they can run fairly independently along a flank with greatly reduced risk of panicking… although with only 2 wounds you need to do your best to avoid taking any shots at all. The simplest way to keep them safe is to deploy them well at the back of your forces and keep them there, aiming and firing every turn for a consistent reliable 1.47 - if you have a second aim token from Hunter for example you are up to 1.8 - keep in mind that 2 damage is considered average for a 40 point unit, however if you can keep the unit alive the whole game and shooting every turn they should surpass the attrition value of a more traditional 40 point unit. If you want to get fancier with them (and why wouldn't you?!) you can run them as skirmishers further away from your main force and harassing the enemy from shorter distances on the flank or holding down more remote objectives. Just like with the Commandos, the Hunter upgrade is valuable on the sniper, however with the Strike Team you are unlikely to split fire - you can however take an aim action and targeting a wounded trooper gaining a two aim tokens, almost guaranteeing they get 2 hits and greatly increasing your likelihood of generating crits to take out commanders with Guardians or enemies in heavy cover or even put some points on Armored units - making this build very action efficient and very consistent reliable damage where you need it every turn. When playing the sniper keep in mind it is more about a slow constant trickle of damage to make them worth their points.

When playing the Strike Team as a saboteur unit you will have to play them much differently than a full Commando unit or a sniper Strike Team. Unlike the sniper variant the saboteurs will want to be right in the middle of the action to maximize the threat on their range 1 charges. Ideally the saboteurs will find a place out of line of sight and near an objective using their Scout 2 ability to get there before the enemy, and then cover the enemies approach in as many charges as possible. This should discourage the enemy from approaching and hopefully funnel them into tighter lanes of fire for the rest of your forces to concentrate on. If the opponent chooses to proceed through the charged area anyways it is very important to keep in mind that you have a window to detonate after every action, so don’t get greedy. It is better to wait and see if the opponent will put more units into the area before detonating - the more units you can hit with one charge the more valuable the saboteurs are. There are also some fun tricks to keep in the back of your head when playing saboteurs - firstly any friendly unit with the Detonate: Proton Charge ability can detonate and friendly charge of the matching name. This encourages saboteurs to be brought in multiples, when one dies the other can still make use of the existing charges - this is even more emphasized with the limited wounds and fragility of the two man Strike Team saboteurs. Although the normal action pattern for the saboteurs is to place a charge and then move away, if you are able to get a dodge token or willing to sacrifice the unit it can sometimes be beneficial to place a charge and take the blast. The expected damage on a charge is 1.675 - if you have a dodge token that would be reduced to .675 however because the charge surges to crit and you cant dodge crits the actual number is .75 damage meaning you are likely to have 1 wound go through that you still get your 33.4% chance to save against - which means your actual chance of suffering damage is just barely under 50% (49.95%). So if you have a dodge token you can drop a bomb at the feet of an enemy unit (maybe even multiple) and detonate it immediately dealing .5 damage to yourself and 1.675 damage to the enemy, giving you both a suppression which means that they are more likely to lose an action, but because the saboteurs have already acted thats not a concern but they now benefit from Low Profile increasing their suppression into heavy cover... and if you are able to get the dodge token without taking an action you can also shoot meaning you potentially deal 4.75 damage and give yourself heavy cover at the 50/50 risk of taking 1 wound. It can also sometimes be worth it to suicide bomb the unit if you are able to hit 3 or more units with a single proton charge. Because this unit is small and generally not as threatening as other units you will have on the field, you can often sneak this unit in close using terrain to block LoS and the threat of other units to deliver them. Once in position they can move in and drop a bomb in a crucial area and detonate - you are almost guaranteed to lose the unit, but if the enemy is turtled up or guarding a tight area and you can land a bomb that is likely to do five or more wounds in one blast, this can be a very effective use of the 40 points you spent on the unit. The reason this is not a recommended tactic for the Commando saboteurs is because you are almost guaranteed to lose the squad and the full Commando squad can put out more consistent damage over the course of a game as well as it being worth more in attrition to your list.

A couple tactics that the Strike Team have in common however is that the unit leader and the special weapon are one and the same, meaning that the special weapons LoS is the same as the units. It also means that you can keep the non-special trooper behind LoS blocking terrain to grant the unit heavy cover as well as allowing the unit to take wounds without the fear of losing the weapon completely. If the unit does take a wound you have to remove the non-leader first and in the event that the leader is the only model eligible to take wounds you then remove them and replace one of the other figures with the unit leader, meaning that your special weapon is always last to leave. The unit can also use your land vehicles as mobile cover - for example the ATRT grants Cover 1 which Low Profile bumps to Cover 2 which gives the Strike Team reliable cover wherever they need it without having to take a suppression to gain it.

Counter Tactics:

Because Strike Teams can be played in two different ways we need to talk about two different ways to counter them.

When up against a sniper unit who is generally going to be further from the your main forces it is best to hit them with your own infinite range weapons if you can such as Coordinated Bombardment or Maximum Firepower- Ignoring the Strike Team snipers is not as solid of a plan as ignoring the Commando snipers. if you do choose to ignore them then the opponent has spend 50ish points on what amounts to 1 damage and 1 suppression a turn which is hugely pretty efficient and can really add up over the course of the game. If you are able to flush them out with your own flankers such as Bikes, Fett, or the T-47 you should but keep in mind the hierarchy of threats your opponent has. Although their consistent damage is annoying and will add up over the course of the game, their low damage output and distance away means that there will generally be more pressing units to deal with. The best outcome if you don’t have long range weapons or fast flankers to safely deal with them is to keep the fight on at the objectives and use LoS blocking terrain to hide your critical units as much as possible… the snipers infinite range means you are unlikely to be able to prevent them from getting a shot every round, but you can give them less desirable shots if you use terrain well.

When up against a saboteur unit how to handle them depends on the objective and terrain. If it is an objective that doesn't require you to move to them then don't - engage them at a distance and they are wildly inefficient for their points. If it is a scenario where you do have to approach them then they should be your main focus (permitting that other units aren't more immediately threatening). In a scenario where you have to approach the enemy, the more turns the saboteurs have to prepare the more dangerous they become. If you are unable to remove the saboteurs before you have to make your push through their charged area try and do it with armored vehicle units first as they will take the least damage and suppression, and try to not pile up your units in one area, but don’t be afraid of having a charge detonate on one unit as it isn't a ton of damage (although the out of turn attack and suppression can be disruptive). If it seems like the opponent may be sending them in to make a suicide bomb run then you can use their low health and damage resistance against them - a well placed stand by can end them before they get close enough to drop the bomb on your forces.

Rebel Commandos are the rebel special forces, better trained and prepared than their infantry counterparts. They are trained and equipped to be self-sufficient in most roles on the battlefield. In Star Wars: Legion the Rebel Commandos are the Rebels first elite unit option. Their training and equipment make them self-sufficient and versatile in many different roles - and as such see specialized use in the Rebel forces. yes

Base Unit Summary:

Damage Output - Ranged: Below Average: 2.5

Damage Consistency - Ranged: Above Average: Sharpshooter 1

Damage Output - Melee: Below Average: 2.5

Damage Consistency - Melee: Average: N/A

Damage Resistance: Below Average: 33.4%

Wounds: Below Average: 4

Attrition: Average: 1/figure

Range: Average: 1-3

Speed: Average: 2

Courage: Above Average: 2

Role: Skirmisher

Unit Role:

Rebel Commandos are elite skirmishing units. They are able to hold a zone or flank on their own with minimal to no support and can handle any job given to them.

Base Unit Analysis:

The base unit of Rebel Commandos are a bit awkward to analyze on their own, they fall in-between the 40 and 80 point bench marks and are more or less average in that space after taking all of their abilities into consideration. However unlike Corps troops, you are unlikely to take Commandos without a special weapon or upgrades and those change the unit drastically. For example, the Rebel Commandos have below average damage resistance but if they are equipped with Duck and Cover they can benefit from heavy cover even out in the open raising their damage resistance from 33.4% to 66.7% or above average (against weapons without Blast or Sharpshooter). However if we add on the Sniper to the unit we raise the points from 60 to 88 putting them clearly into the 80 point metric, but we find that their slightly below average damage increases from 2.5 to a still below average 3.5. However when considering the Sharpshooter 1 and Pierce 1 keywords we find that although they generate a below average amount of work, that work is more efficient and they are actually delivering an above average amount of damage against units in specific situations- specifically units in light or heavy cover (and an average amount of damage against units with no cover). It is also important to keep in mind their inherent courage 2 meaning their action economy is harder to slow down, and that in the worst case if they have to be promoted to your new commander your other troops won’t start fleeing. So we find that Rebel Commandos despite being expensive for the raw numbers they posses are actually a slightly above average efficiency unit when applied to the appropriate scenarios.

Unique Upgrade Analysis:

DH-447 Sniper: The DH-447 is a really interesting weapon for a troop unit. Its damage output is low compared to other special weapons (especially for its points) at just 1 expected damage, but its keywords and unlimited range almost ensure that that damage is going through on the target of your choice. Sharpshooter 1 and High Velocity means that even if the target is in light cover with a dodge token the damage is getting through. If the target is in heavy cover you will need to roll 2 hits or a crit to get the damage through still... and Pierce 1 means that if you overcome their cover then the damage is bypassing their armor. Because of the unlimited range on this weapon however you are likely able to take an aim action when attacking a key target raising the weapons damage significantly to 1.47 and almost to average for special weapons. Because of how all of these factors come together the DH-447 is an efficient weapon when used against the appropriate targets and is a recommended upgrade for the Commandos.

Proton Charge Saboteur: The Proton Charge is an interesting weapon and needs a little explaining being the first Arm/Detonate weapon in the game. As an action the Commandos can place a charge at range 1 and in LoS, however this is not an attack action so the Commandos can place a charge and fire their weapons in the same activation (even the saboteur). Then after every action that happens, anywhere on the table, in LoS of the Commandos or not, there is a response window for the Commandos to detonate the charge initiating a ranged attack against every unit within range 1 of the charge. Note that this window to detonate is after every action including the one used to set it, so you can toss it out and detonate it immediately, but since it is at range 1 the Commandos will hit themselves with the blast. It is also important to remember that any friendly unit with the Detonate: Proton Charge ability can detonate charges, it doesn't have to be the unit who placed the charge. But now more about how this upgrade affects the unit; The Saboteur decreases the overall efficiency of the unit changing the units expected damage output from 2.5 to 3.125 however he gives them a new way to play which drastically changes their role on in the battle. The charge itself does an expected 1.625 damage to every unit within range 1, meaning its effectiveness can be massive if it hits more than one unit. More importantly the Proton Charges add a psychological threat to the enemies units and subtly control how and where the enemy moves. It can also strongly deter enemies from clustering together and make them cautious to approach key areas. Because of this the Saboteur is a more complicated piece to use than the Sniper, but potentially much more effective and is therefor a situationally recommended upgrade.

Suggested Upgrades:

The Rebel Commandos have upgrade slots for a Special Weapon, Training, Comm, Gear, and Grenade upgrade card. This makes them one of the most customizable units to date.

The Special Weapon they take will dictate how you want to use them and what their role on the battlefield will be, and as such should be your first decision when upgrading them.

The Training upgrade options tend to be expensive but have strong abilities. If you are equipping a sniper to the unit it is a good idea to consider taking the Hunter upgrade, otherwise taking Duck and Cover to improve the units damage resistance is a strong choice.

The Comms upgrade is not essential for Commandos and one to consider skipping. However if you are playing a lot of command cards with issue order effects you can include HQ Uplink on the Commandos to really push the efficiency of that card. For example if you are using Leia's No Time for Sorrows you can also activate the Commando's HQ Uplink to gain the free move in addition to the units who are issued orders normally.

The Gear upgrade is also a non-essential slot for Commandos and can be skipped if short on points. However if you are playing a Sniper with Hunter consider taking Targeting Scopes as well.

The Grenade upgrade is another place you can save points on the Commandos since the grenades wont increase your damage output. The Concussion grenades are only improving your cover reduction by 1 since Commandos already have Sharpshooter 1. Impact Grenades are a good consideration if your army is otherwise lacking in ways to deal with Armor, but otherwise skip these as well.

When Upgrading the Commandos it is very easy to overspend on them, keep in mind they are already up against the wall in terms of efficiency and the more upgrades you put on them the worse they get. Ideally when playing them you will keep the Commandos around the 100 points range if possible depending on the role you need them to fill and your playstyle.

Wave 3 Update:

With the addition of wave 3 expansions the Rebel Commandos now have access to several new and useful upgrade options.

Fragmentation Grenades: These are incredibly strong on your troops, although it is recommended on the Saboteur build and not recommended on the Sniper build. Frag Grenades change the 5 man units damage output from 3.125 to 4.375.

Suggested Tactics:

Commandos can be as simple or complicated as you would like them to be and although they are a skirmishing unit they can play in two more specific styles depending on the special weapon you choose, so I will address them in two general styles; Snipers & Saboteurs.

When playing the Commandos as a sniper unit you can play them fairly basically, as you would any other Rebel troop unit. But keep in mind that the sniper has unlimited range when you split fire and that the unit is at its most efficient against targets in cover. There are some interesting things to consider when playing Commando snipers over regular corps troops though. Because they have a courage value of 2 they can run fairly independently along a flank without greatly reduced risk of panicking. A corps unit will panic at 2 suppression, but a commando unit panics at 4 requiring the opponent to dedicate a lot more resources at them to slow them down. if you want to get fancier with them (and why wouldn't you?!) you can run them as skirmishers further away from your main force and harass the enemy from opportune positions. because they dont panic until 4 and have a strong chance of rallying they combo well with HQ Uplink allowing them to give themselves an order when needed as well as doubling the effectiveness of a ready action by removing the suppression and refreshing HQ Uplink. Whether you took HQ uplink or not, flanking is primarily how you will want to play the sniper variant. Another strong upgrade combo to consider with them is the Hunter upgrade, with the sniper you can split fire targeting a wounded trooper gaining an aim token, you can then fire the rest of the squad at different target using that aim token... and freeing up your other action you would have used to aim to move instead or even get an additional aim token - making this build very action efficient. If you take Hunter and gain a free aim you increase their total damage output from 3.5 from to 3.97 and if you took the targeting scopes as well to 4.2. Combined with Sharpshooter 1 and Pierce 1 against a unit in cover their actual damage throughput is 2.2 higher than what you would expect from a corps unit in the same situation.

When playing the Commandos as a saboteur unit you can also play them simply like any other Rebel troop unit or as skirmishers like a base Commando unit, however they play much differently when you start to fully focus on the charge. Unlike the sniper variant the saboteurs will want to be right in the middle of the action to maximize the threat on their range 1 charges. Ideally the saboteurs will find a place near an objective early using their Scout 2 ability to get there before the enemy, and then cover the enemies approach in as many charges as possible. This should discourage the enemy from approaching and hopefully funnel them into tighter lanes of fire for the rest of your forces to concentrate on. If the opponent choses to proceed through the charged area anyways it is very important to keep in mind that you have a window to detonate after every action, so dont get greedy. It is better to wait and see if the opponent will put more units into the area before detonating - the more units you can hit with one charge the more valuable the saboteurs are. If the proton charge detonates on one unit it is adding 1.625 and an extra suppression to the units damage output which average or slightly above depending on how much value you place in suppression- but if you can hit multiple units the effectiveness of the charge can be tremendous. There are also some fun tricks to keep in the back of your head when playing saboteurs - firstly any friendly unit with the Detonate: Proton Charge ability can detonate and friendly charge of the matching name. This encourages saboteurs to be brought in multiples, when one dies the other can still make use of the existing charges. The second neat trick is that the range 1 on your charge isn't always a detriment. Although the normal action pattern for the saboteurs is to place a charge and then move away and detonate it (or save it), if you are able to get a dodge token either through a command card or an action it can sometimes be beneficial to place a charge and take the blast. The expected damage on a charge is 1.675 - if you have a dodge token that would be reduced to .675 however because the charge surges to crit and you cant dodge crits the actual number is .75 damage meaning you are likely to have 1 wound go through that you still get your 33.4% chance to save against - which means your actual chance of suffering damage is just barely under 50% (49.95%). So if you have a dodge token you can drop a bomb at the feet of an enemy unit (maybe even multiple) and detonate it immediately dealing .5 damage to yourself and 1.675 damage to each enemy, giving you both a suppression which means that they are more likely to lose an action, but because the saboteurs have already acted thats not a concern but they now benefit from Low Profile increasing their suppression into heavy cover... and if you are able to get the dodge token without taking an action you can also shoot meaning you potentially deal 4.75 damage and give yourself heavy cover at the 50/50 risk of taking 1 wound.

When playing any flavor of Rebel Commandos though it is important to keep two things in mind that just like how their damage output is below average and increases to well above average when played appropriately - their damage resistance and attrition is the same. They have one less wound than the average for their points, and their native damage resistance is well below average if you aren’t keeping them in at least light cover. And also that you are paying for their courage value to make them an independent or a backup unit if your true commander dies. Keep their fragility in mind when playing them and target the appropriate enemies and they will do well for you, ignore those conditions and they will just be a more expensive more fragile corps unit.

Counter Tactics:

Because Commandos can be played in two different ways we need to talk about two different ways to counter them.

When up against a sniper unit who is generally going to be further from the opponents main forces it is best to ignore them if you can, staying beyond range 3 - if you are able to do this then the opponent spends nearly 100 points on what amounts to 1 damage and 1 suppression a turn which is hugely inefficient and it allows you to focus your work elsewhere giving you a large attrition lead. If the sniper unit gets more into the mix then engage them as you would any other troop unit, especially with weapons that ignore or bypass their cover / low profile if you are able. Their low damage output means that they are primarily paying for their versatility and their independence and if they are not using those then you also have a small attrition lead in points.

When up against a saboteur unit how to handle them depends on the objective and terrain. If it is an objective that doesn't require you to move to them then don't - engage them at a distance and they are wildly inefficient for their points. If it is a scenario where you do have to approach them then they should be your main focus (permitting that other units aren't more immediately threatening). In a scenario where you have to approach the enemy, the more turns the saboteurs have to prepare the more dangerous they become. If you are unable to remove the saboteurs before you have to make your push through their charged area try and do it with armored vehicle units first as they will take the least damage and suppression, and try to not pile up your units in one area, but dont be afraid of having a charge detonate on one unit as it isn't a ton of damage (although the out of turn attack and suppression can be disruptive).

For the most part though, engage them as you would any other unit, possibly putting them a bit higher on the priority list than standard corps troops. Also keep in mind that their attrition and damage resistance are quite low, if you are able to attack them with weapons that ignore their cover they will be defeated quite quickly.

Boba Fett is a ruthless bounty hunter armed to the teeth with cool toys hidden in his armor and stopping at nothing to get the job done. In Star Wars: Legion Boba Fett is the first Imperial Operative and he brings a whole new set of tricks to the way the Empire plays.

Unit Role:

Boba Fett is a mixed bag of tricks and tools and can be played in several different ways. You can use his Arsenal 2 and Whipcord to make him a strong control element. You can use his incredible speed and mobility to flank your enemy troops and hit their weak spots and support. Fetts speed and the Bounty ability also make him a strong unit at giving you the edge on scenario points throughout the game.

Base Unit Analysis:

Boba Fett is very fast, mobile, and durable - in fact he has one of the best damage resistances in the game at 66.8%. His speed and jump ability make him more maneuverable than any other troop unit to date. Fett's damage output however is very very low at 1.25 per attack with two attacks, but he makes up for that by being very consistent and versatile - combined with his speed and mobility he is able to apply that small amount of damage reliably to key targets. Moreover when he starts the game he can declare a bounty on enemy commanders or operatives - if he is able to deliver the killing blow to that bounty then he can earn you an extra scenario point which can turn the course of a game. Although Fett isn't a commander he brings his own set of command card options with powerful abilities that also add to his cost and value.

Unique Upgrade Analysis:

Boba Fett has no unique upgrades at this point.

Command Cards:

Whipcord Launcher: initiative 1, Fett only; The Whipcord Launcher is an incredibly strong control card. During the turn you have this card active as a free action you can give a trooper unit at range 1 and in LoS 2 suppression and 2 immobilized tokens. Reducing their speed by 2, often to 0! as well as most likely taking one of their actions away on the next turn. During this turn Fett can also freely leave melee engagements with enemies that have an immobilized token without losing any speed or actions. Using this card Fett can get himself into sticky situations with confidence that he can get out again. An ideal use of this card for example would be to move Fett up the board to a scenario element and within charge range of Luke... however issuing the immobilized tokens to Luke prevents him from charging or even moving at all.

ZX Flame Projector: initiative 2, Fett only; This tricky card gives Fett a one use flamethrower - and the best flamethrower in the game at that. Fett can be used as a control piece and sometimes that means rushing into enemy troop units to keep them from moving, and coincidently sometimes your opponent will rush troops to engage Fett to keep him away from his bounty or other scenario objectives. Luckily the ZX flamethrower gives Fett a quick and easy way to clear out troops he is engaged with or nearby in either instance.

Z-6 Jetpack Launcher: initiative 3, Fett only; This card represents yet another toy in Fett's toolbox. A once per game missile he can shoot at targets that absolutely must die. While this weapon has Impact 2 it is often best not used against vehicles and better directed against the unit that Fetts bounty is on giving Fett a possible 3 red 2 black die pool against a target at range 3.

Suggested Upgrades:

Fett has two Training and two Gear upgrade slots giving him limited variety but strong options in upgrades.

If you are playing Fett as a flanker and bounty hunter then Hunter is a strong upgrade to consider on him, giving Fett a free aim token when he shoots a wounded unit, potentially allowing him to move, aim, and attack or to even double aim when attacking a wounded high value target.

Another strong consideration is Duck and Cover to help keep Fett alive when he is off away from the bulk of your forces. The extra point of damage reduction combined with his already high damage resistance can keep Fett on the table for quite a while.

As far as Gear upgrades it is a good idea to consider Environmental Gear or other mobility enhancers to get him into position to claim his bounty as early as possible. Other upgrades like Emergency Stims and Targeting Scope are nice if you have the points, but aren't necessary or always useful with Fett.

However it is important to remember that Fett even without upgrades is rather expensive. So it is best to play test Fett a couple of times and only take the upgrades you are making use of consistently and often.

Wave 3 Update:

With the addition of wave 2 expansions Boba Fett now have access to several new and useful upgrade options such as Tenacity which can increase his melee damage output if you are playing Fett more aggressively - but it is generally advised to play Fett more cautiously.

Suggested Tactics:

Boba Fett is full of tricks and his versatility can keep your opponent constantly guessing what Fett is going to be doing next - you should always use that to your advantage. Undoubtedly Fett's strongest characteristic is his ability to gain you victory points outside the confines of the scenario... but second to that are his Command Cards. Although you are unlikely to take all three of his in the same Command Hand, your opponent doesn't know which ones you do or don't have so you can hold an advantage by threatening all of Fett's tricks, even if you don't hold them all.

Generally there are two ways to play Fett, but luckily they dont require much if any changes to the way you upgrade him so you can change styles from game to game or even round to round as you need - Control and Scenario centric.

When playing Fett as a more control centric then Whipcord Launcher and ZX Flame Projector are the cards you are most likely to include. Whipcord Launcher allows you to shut down a key unit for a turn and the Flame Projector allows you to threaten large units or even engage them to tie them up for a turn and then eliminate them on the following turn. When playing for control Fett will often be splitting fire to inflict as much suppression as possible. Fett tends to be upgraded defensively when he is mainly played for control, often taking Duck and Cover and Emergency Stims to keep him alive and protecting your lines as long as possible. When playing control Fett can also be used as a distraction, pushing him off to the flanks or towards a key support piece to divert the opponents attention away from other more impactful units you may have.

Fett can also be played as a scenario focused unit, both as a bounty hunter as well as a durable fast objective grabber. When playing Fett primarily in this way he tends to be upgraded more offensively with equipment like Hunter or Targeting Scopes and bringing his Jetpack Rocket to maximize his chances of claiming his bounty. Fett's primary goal is to score a point or two and then get quickly back to safety away from the enemy units - ideally by claiming his bounty and recovering a supply or breaking through the enemy lines. It is important to remember that Fett needs to be the one to land the killing blow to gain the bounty and must remain alive with it until the end of the game to actually score that point. Because of this and the low amount of damage Fett actually does, it is a good idea to soften up the target with other units before trying to score with Fett - a couple of strong shots at range should do the trick, either from a couple DLTs or even bikes or ATST. Once Fett has the bounty he's no good to you dead so get him out of harm's way and keep him hidden until the end of the game. One scenario point is much more valuable than taking a shot or two and risking Fett.

Fett's Bounty ability deserves some focus on its own. Not only can it net you an additional objective point outside the confines of the normal objective, but it can also be a strong psychological threat. In most cases it is best to place the bounty token on a commander or operative that Fett can realistically solo on his own - however you can also place the token on a more aggressive unit and position Fett to keep the unit away from key positions. For example if you are up against Luke Skywalker, although he is difficult to kill, if he has a bounty token on him and is up against Fett and a unit of stormtroopers, Luke will think twice about pushing forward - he'll have to consider if it is worth possibly losing Luke AND giving up an objective point.

Fett's speed and mobility also make him an ideal flanker if there aren't great opportunities for him to play control or scenario. Fett can easily run the flanks of the enemies list as either a distraction or to take out key support pieces trying to hide from the rest of your list. This version of Fett plays very similar to the control style, but will often be combining shots instead of splitting fire to ensure that he kills the support target, he will also be using his durability to draw fire away from other units instead of making it back to safety with the objective points.

All said and done though, Fett is very versatile and adaptable. He can be played in many different roles and specialized in different ways depending on which upgrades and command cards you take. His various keywords on his weapons and the fact that he converts surges to crits means that he has no preferred target - he might not do a ton of damage, but he can consistently put a small amount of damage on a trooper or a vehicle reliably. The key thing to remember is to play to his strengths and weaknesses - that he does very little damage but is one of the fastest and most durable units in the game.

Counter Tactics:

Fett can be incredibly frustrating to play against - he is difficult to kill, he is consistently dealing small amounts of damage, he brings tricks to the table that you can't always predict, and worst of all he threatens to earn the opponent a victory point outside of the normal objective rules.

As far as Fett dealing damage to you goes, this is the least of your worries. He does a rather small amount of damage, although that damage is rather hard to prevent and can come from unexpected distances and vector - and Because of his Sharpshooter 2 ability he ignores all cover you might have meaning only dodges and rolling saves can prevent the trickle of damage he generates.

Fett having tricks in the form of command cards is something you should keep in mind, but not play around. If the idea that Fett might be holding Whipcord Launcher prevents you from sending Luke Skywalker or Royal Guards after him in melee then he will continue to run the board unchecked and won't have to play the card if you never put him in a scenario where he has to. Similarly if you fear he may be holding a Flame Projector and keep your large units away from him you are giving him extra control of the board. The most important thing to remember is that because Fett's cards only issue orders to himself, they are quite costly and are unlikely to all be in the opponents command hand - further they are one use tricks, so once you get through them you know that your opponent can't do it again. The best thing to do is to continue course on the plan that you think is best with a contingency for what to do if Fett does play one of his cards on you - especially Whipcord Launcher, as that can essentially take a turn away from any trooper unit.

Fett being difficult to kill is probably the key thing to remember when playing against him. Fett can withstand huge amounts of punishment with his surging red defense dice - especially if he is able to get into cover. The best way to kill him is through volume of concentrated fire. If you are going to attempt to kill him you should focus as much as you can on him all at once. If you don't commit to killing he you won't and will end up wasting time and work you could be putting elsewhere.

If you don't have an easy target for Fett such as Leia or Veers or the generics then it is worth considering bunching up your troops as much as possible and ignoring him. He won't do a ton of damage and if he makes a push towards your support or key units you can focus fire on him to end him.

Han Solo is a reluctant and unconventional hero. But maybe that is exactly what makes him so successful. In Star Wars: Legion Han Solo is the Rebels third commander and he brings new and interesting tricks to the Rebellion's arsenal.

Base Unit Summary: (commander)

Damage Output - Ranged: Below Average: 3.5

Damage Consistency Ranged: Above Average: surge to crit, Pierce 2

Damage Output - Melee: Below Average: 1.125

Damage Consistency - Melee: Above Average: surge to crit

Damage Resistance: Above Average: 55.6% + Cover

Wounds: Average: 6

Attrition: Above Average: 6/figure

Range: Below Average: 1-2

Speed: Average: 2

Courage: Above Average: 2

Role: Commander, Control

Unit Role:

Han Solo is first and foremost a control piece. On the surface may seem like a gun-slinging damage-dealing badass - and he may be that too, but there is so much more to him. Through the use of his command cards, upgrades, and friends you can make Han one of the most frustrating (in a good way) models the opponent can play against.

Base Unit Analysis:

Han Solo has multiple abilities and command cards that add up to make him a frustrating piece for your opponent to deal with. Although Han has the same ranged weapon as Luke, he gets to fire it twice and with sharpshooter he ignores a significant portion of his targets cover - he is going to kill 3 to 4 troopers a round meaning that although his damage output is slightly below average, it is incredibly reliable. Han only has a white die for defense, but despite that is one of the hardest models to kill. Using the Duck and Cover upgrade that comes with Han in conjunction with his Low Profile ability he will have heavy cover even out in the open, add in Esteemed Leader and Han can almost guarantee that he will never receive more than 3 wounds at a time - which works nicely with his Uncanny Luck ability raising his white die percentage to higher than a red die's chance of succeeding. When judging a commander's efficiency we also have to take into account that we are spending points on their command cards and their courage bubble which increase the entire armies efficiency in a way that is not immediately obvious just by looking at their statistics and adds significantly to their points cost.

Unique Upgrade Analysis:

Han Solo has no unique upgrades at this point.

Command Cards:

Sorry About the Mess: initiative 0, Han only; this command card gives Han a dodge and an aim token immediately and lets you activate at initiative zero. At first glance many people think of it as the best alpha strike card in the game, allowing Han to get the drop and attack early, and it could be that - but it is far more valuable as psychological leverage. If your opponent knows that you are holding Sorry About the Mess they will be hesitant to play any command cards that rely on speed to use optimally. When you play this card it is generally best used defensively to get Han (or possibly another unit who can gain its own command token) out of the way before the enemy has a chance to react. This is especially useful in Rebel activation spam lists where you can ensure your key piece will get the activation last in one turn and first in the next getting them back to safety.

Reckless Diversion: initiative 2, Han and 1 Trooper unit; quite possibly the most powerful card among hans incredibly powerful cards. On the turn you play Reckless Diversion your opponent has to attack a unit with a face up order token if able. Generally you want them attacking Han on this turn. There is a very good chance he will panic and run at the end of the turn, but you get to control the way the opponent plays an entire one of their six rounds. You will want units with guardian near Han and to have Han in cover and out of Melee range of all of your opponents units on this turn. a clever opponent will just run to engage Han early in the turn freeing up the rest of his forces to do what they want. clarification on the way this works as far as targeting and "must attack works"; in the timing of an attack step one is Declare Defenders, and then second step is pick weapons and Form Attack Pool. What this means is that a unit that can attack Han in any way must, even if its not with the weapon they prefer. For example, if the opponent has an AT-RT with a flamer and is within range one of one of your units and range 3 of Han it must use its rifle to attack Han because it can, even if it would rather use its flamer. As a second example a unit of bikes that has a target in its front arc and Han is at range 2 outside of the front arc the bikes must attack Han using their pistols. As a counter example though if a unit of Fleet Troopers are at range 3 of Han and there is another unit at range 2, they are not obligated to move into range of Han and since Han is not a viable target they are free to attack a different target of their choice. Similarly if an AT-ST is at range 2 of Han but Han is not in its front arc, because Han is not a viable target the AT-ST is free to attack as normal.

Change of Plans: initiative 3, Han and 2 units; another incredibly strong command card in Hans arsenal. When you play this card your opponent has to pick another card than the one they had originally picked to play - often greatly disrupting their plan for the turn. Timing of this card can be quite difficult, and knowing what cards your opponent has and when they want to play them is essential, but often the opponent just knowing that you have it can be enough to change the way they pick command cards and cause them to play sub-optimally. Note that because you discard this card to receive its effects you and your opponent both pick new cards, except you know one that they cant play and can better counter the cards they may have left.

Suggested Upgrades:

Han has a Leader upgrade, a Training upgrad, and a Gear upgrade slot which gives him a pretty diverse bunch of options to equip. In general though it is best to focus on defensive upgrades for Han to keep him around long enough to be a giant thorn in your opponent's side.

Han comes with Improvised Orders which is a great upgrade and fits Hans overall play style very well, however it is often better to take Esteemed Leader from Leia and put it on Han to increase his durability significantly. If you are playing with Leia as well she has two Leader upgrade slots can take Improvised Orders so that you are still keeping the best of both worlds. Using Esteemed Leader Han can almost guarantee that he never receives more than 3 wounds which allows him to use his uncanny luck on every wound that comes through.

For Hans Training upgrade Duck and Cover which comes with him is a very strong choice, allowing Han to receive heavy cover even when out in the open and really limit the amount of damage that comes through on him.

As for Han's Gear upgrade slot you can equip it as you see fit or even leave it blank, however take a second to consider Environmental Gear on Han as he will be wanting to spend time in and around cover which can slow his movement. Emergency Stims which comes with him is also a strong option which can give him one last activation if he takes too many shots for the team.

Suggested Tactics:

Han is a damage dealing gun slinger and an impressive control piece in many ways - the most base level and straight forward way to play him is to move him up to an objective and park him there to defend off the opponents troops with his deadly accurate pistol... however depending on your style, list, and objective you can play him slightly more or less agressively.

Playing Han as an offensive gun slinger can be as simple or as subtle as you’d like it to be, however it is important to remember that although he is dealing very consistent damage, he isn't dealing a lot of it so there may be other units better suited to this role. His primary target should be troop units, and ideally two at a time. Han is also putting out two suppression a turn when in an aggressive position which leads nicely into an all around style of Rebel Control list where you are using other offensive units to split fire and put out as much suppression as you can to limit enemy activations while using Han's command cards to control the pacing of the battle.

When playing Han as a more defensive piece your tactics dont change very much, but the units you send with him may. When playing Han in this style you actually want the enemy to focus on and attack Han which may seem counter intuitive, but in doing so you are wasting a large amount of your opponents potential output for a round - especially when using Reckless Diversion and giving them limited choice. Any unit with Guardian (especially Chewie) is a good accompaniment for a defensive Han build. When playing Han defensively or as bait for the rest of your army it is critical to take the defensive upgrades on him.

Either way you play Han there are some key things to keep in mind - Han might be one of the toughest models to damage at range, but if he ever gets caught in melee he is guaranteed to die. Not only does a large amount of the defensive tech Han is counting on only work at range, but also being in melee prevents other abilities he may be counting on like Reckless Diversion. It is also important to keep in mind that weapons that reliably generate critical hits or have pierce also a strong chance of ending Han early by bypassing defenses he was counting on like Guardian and Uncanny Luck. For this reason it is very important when playing Han to keep distances from Han to enemies in mind and what weapon effects they have. A clever opponent will focus on Han with pierce weapons or forgo an attack to double move and engage Han.

Counter Tactics:

Han can be incredibly frustrating to play against - he is difficult to kill, he is consistently killing your own troops, and worst of all he is interfering with all of your plans.

As far as Han dealing damage to you goes, this is the least of your worries. Han does a rather small amount of damage in a small area and in a predictable way. If you have troops close to him and out in the open he will mow them down easily and in bunches, but if your units are behind heavy cover and with a dodge token he will need crits to deal any damage at all.

Han being difficult to kill is also something that is within your control to manage. Han can shrug off almost all attacks at range, especially if he has friends around to be his Guardian. However Han crumples in melee, losing many of his abilities and having very limited capacity to fight back. One of the most effective ways to defeat him is simply to rush into melee as fast as you can to trap him in place. It is almost always best to double move into engagement with him and attack the next turn than to take a ranged attack or other action and risk him having a chance to escape or retaliate.

Your last problem when dealing with Han is his disruption of your plans. This one is hard, you and your opponent will be constantly reading each other and doing mental gymnastics trying to figure out when what is going to happen. If you aren't able to accurately read and predict your opponent then its a coin flip as to whether or not they will do what you think they will - in this case the best course of action it to take the optimal command card and do your best to plan a contingency for what to do if they do play the counter to your plan.

If you have an end run on Han and you fear he may play Sorry About the Mess to get out of the stick situation before you can seal the deal - think of other ways you can put pressure on him, or other options you might have with your threatening piece after Han has moved out of range so you dont waste your activations.

If Han plays Reckless Diversion there is often little your troops can do to avoid attacking him, unless you are able to get a unit into melee engagement with him - if you can you absolutely should, even if you wont get an attack after moving. Entering into melee with him locks him in and makes him un-targetable to ranged attacks, freeing the rest of your list to act as they'd like. If you are unable to engage him then you are more or less stuck attacking him, so you might as well take your best shot to end him - fish for criticals and use your weapons with pierce on him.

If you have a perfect command card and worry that Han may play Change of Plans on you, it is almost always a bad idea to try and second guess them and play a suboptimal card hoping you can change into the one you actually want. It is much better to play the card you want and have a backup plan if it gets changed. The chance they are playing Change of Plans is one in seven anyways, the odds are in your favor that your plan will go through five out of six turns - just go with your plans.

General tactics and list building for the Rebel Alliance. This article is intended as an entry point to critical thinking about list building for Rebels and is not hard and fast rules. You are encouraged to build and play your own lists in your own way.

Core Philosophy

The forces of the Rebellion are as numerous and varied as the planets they fight for. They can play in many different ways towards many different ends - but they are all built out of the same blocks and on the same principles.

quantity

spiky

adaptability

synergy

Quantity: "Make ten men feel like one hundred" - The forces of the rebellion are often rag tag operations built out of anyone who will volunteer - the good news is that there are a lot of volunteers. Rebel units tend to be quite affordable, and because of this you can get a lot of chaff to front load your turn with, saving your important units until later in the round when the opponent is unlikely to have any activations left to retaliate against your key units.

Statistical Spikes: "Never tell me the odds" - Rebel forces dont have the consistency of their counterparts, however they tend to have much higher variance. The DLT-19 for example is likely to put out 2 damage but it will never put out more than 2 damage, the Z-6 on the other had is also likely to put out 2 damage, but can spike as high as 6! That makes rebels sort of unpredictable, you can't always count on the outcomes or choose when or where you get your big rolls, however over the course of a game you can expect your output to average higher than your counterparts.

Adaptability: "Rebellions are built on hope" Each tool in the Rebels arsenal is not purpose built, unlike their counterparts. Rebel units tend to be very adaptable to the needs put on them - Luke Skywalker for example is a melee unit but he has a really good gun on him too and is fast enough to change plans on the fly - unlike his counterpart Darth Vader who is essentially committed to melee and cannot change his plans once he's set them in motion due to his slow speed. However this also means that they are not a skilled as their primary function as their counterparts are.

Synergy: "Help me, Obi-Wan Kenobi you are my only hope" Rebels units have a lot of synergy and codependence amongst each other to play optimally. Rebel Troopers rely on Leia's ability or Lukes command cards to give them dodge tokens. Han and Chewie share their tokens and help protect those around them. If you are able to get all your synergies working together the strength of the Rebels really shines, but if you start losing links in the combo chains too early it starts to become an uphill battle.

Each unit in the Rebellion is a dynamic and adaptable piece, often working in concert with other pieces to become more than the sum of their parts - and Rebel lists tend to follow this guiding principal overall.

Rebel lists are built around unit interactions and synergy - usually a character or support unit that feeds into their troops who do the bulk of the work. The can be something as direct and blatant as Leia's Take Cover ability or the many command cards that greatly enhance certain interactions, but it can also be something as subtle as a T-47 distracting the enemy long enough for your Fleet Troopers to get into place - the important part is that the units work together to improve the other units around them.

Where to Begin

When you begin building a Rebel list it is best to start with your synergies and combos - when deciding it is best to pick them in pairs or to start with the unit that will end up doing the work, building the other way around tends to leave you with too many buffs and not enough actual work getting done. Generally the synergy will start with your commanders or operatives, but in the future this could also be support units, upgrades, or other specialized forces. It is wise to keep the support pieces as lean and as focused as possible. It may be tempting to add upgrades to them to make them more versatile or to keep it alive longer, but in most cases you can protect them with play-style and can better spend those points elsewhere - it would be a better use of resources to add more work units rather than to over upgrade or add too many support units - as a general guideline your support should never cost more than 1/3 of your list or 250 points.

Once you have chosen you synergy combos it is important to know their timing and limitations. Leia for example can hand out two dodge tokens and remove suppression so it is important she activates early in the turn and before her buff targets move out of range. Chewie supports Han quite well and will always want to be near him, although how you use him could change depending on the card Han uses. Luke tends to do most of his support through command cards and so will want to make sure he is within range 3 of your troops. Once you have identified your synergy combos purpose, timing, and limits its time to flesh out the rest of the list.

How to Expand

Now that you have your synergy combos chosen it is time to build the rest of your list - there are two paths you can take from here and knowing which one to take requires you to know your personal playstyle and preferences.

Skew

In a skew list you double down on the functions of your synergies - the general tactic and theory here is that an enemy list will have limited answers to the problem they are presented with. A skew list will present a very limited number of problems but in a quantity or quality of them will overwhelm the toolsets of most lists that encounter it.

For example if you are playing with Han and Chewie your opponent likely has a toolset that can handle two models that deal moderate damage and are hard to remove. a skew from there would be adding Leia, Esteemed Leader, and some Emergency Stims - although the opponent's toolset could deal with Han and Chewie together, it is unlikely to be able to deal with them now that they have some regeneration and an astronomical number of dodge tokens on them. As a second example, most opponents lists will have the tools required to handle Fleet Troopers, however when you run Fleet Troopers alongside Flamethrower AT-RTs you are now starting to skew. At some point most lists will run out of tools to stop both sets of units before they reach their targets, at which point you are able to deal a massive amount of damage at close range. A Rebel skew will often also play off of the very powerful rebel command cards and maximizing their effects, for this reason comms and especially HQ Uplink play very strongly into Rebel skew - for example HQ Uplink when combined with No Time for Sorrows can give a huge portion of your forces a free move out of turn or when combined with My Ally is the Force can cover your forces in dodge tokens.

In general Rebel skew lists are a bit more difficult to run because they require more mastery over positioning and timing than an average list - but once they hit the threshold of overwhelming the opponents list they encounter little resistance. Because skew list are so hyper focused in their function they tend to have large weaknesses themselves and sometimes get asked a question that they cannot answer - because of this although they can do well in competition they often are not considered top tier competitive because they rely on the luck of not encountering their weakness and are easy to overcome for opponents who happen to have an answer to the skews question.

Balance

Balanced lists are the opposite of skew lists. In a balanced list you look at what your synergy combos do and then instead of doubling down on them you build around it in a way that supports it, but also covers its weaknesses and shortcomings. Generally balanced lists have a broad toolset that can answer many question it is presented with, but may not overwhelm some opponents the way a skew list will. Balanced lists can still be overwhelmed by skew lists, but in general have a much more consistent and predictable win record when piloted with skill - and therefore tend to be considered more competitive.

To use our previous examples If you had chosen Han and Chewie as your combo instead of skewing into Leia to generate more tokens on them a balanced list would likely include Luke. Luke adds speed and melee capabilities to the list and does not need to be near Han and Chewie to be contributing to the fight. When taking an Fleet Troopers instead of skewing into Flamethrower AT-RTs a balanced list would take Laser Canon AT-RTs who can support the fight from a great distance away and deal with armor while the troopers focus on other troopers.

Another iteration of the Rebel balanced lists is the reverse of a combo skew - or in other words, when a skew list doubles down on one specific interaction a balanced inverse of that would take multiple elements that you can swap in and out of that scenario so that you can adapt to what you need when you need it. An example of this would be taking Leia with Han, Chewie, and two units of Rebel Troopers - in this example you can either put the tokens on Han and Chewie and give them tons of tokens, or put on on them and one on Leia, or both on the Rebel Troopers - the key is adaptability and a broad tool set you can change as needed during the game.

Crafting a balanced list also takes considerable skill, forethought, and knowledge of the meta to know what questions are likely to be asked and what answers them. However once you find the right balance for your style and the meta, playing a balanced list is often the most enjoyable and rewarding.

Defining a Strategy

Once you have chosen your synergies and decided on whether you are building into a skewed or a balanced list, the next step is to envision how all of these elements come together in the ideal situation.

Is this list designed to table the opponent? Does it turtle and play at range? Is it focused on the scenario? What mission parameters does it want to see? does it not want to see? Does it want to be Red player or Blue player?

If you are playing a skew list you should figure out what the question is you are asking; “can you overcome heroes that are buried in dodge tokens?”, “can you catch all my units who are moving unpredictably?”, “can you survive a swarm of short range high damage units?”, etc. In addition you should figure out what your weaknesses are and what questions you have trouble answering, and if you can adapt your playstyle to help mitigate your own weaknesses.

If you are playing a balanced list in addition to the above questions you should also know what role each unit plays, how many different ways your synergies can be applied, what questions it answers, and if there are any unconventional uses for it that increase your toolset.

Once you have all of this in your head you are ready to put the list on the table and confirm that it plays on the table the way it plays in your head

Common Imperial Archetypes and Strategies

Super Friends:

The Rebel Super Friends list tends to be more of a skew list focusing on bringing as many commanders and operatives as possible and then maximizing their command cards and abilities to make the heroes as hard to deal with as possible. Because this list tends to be very action heavy it is a bit on the slow side, but tends to hold objectives very well. Often the non-hero units included will be more generalized to cover as many situations as possible that the heroes cannot.

Skirmish Party:

The skirmish list is more on the balanced side. It tends to take a small amount of heroes and then specialized units to handle specific roles. Rebel Commandos, Fleet Troopers, and Wookie Warriors are good examples of units that would show up in a skirmish list. Generally this list style wants to use some damage focused units to hit the opponent so that some of your back units can interact with the scenario and support the line of combat.

Swarm:

Swarm is a popular style of Rebel skew and focuses on overwhelming numbers of activations. The general idea is to take a high volume of low impact units with a few high impact units, and then to out activate your opponent saving your high impact units for last so they can activate without the fear that the opponent can retaliate. This list style also does well at certain objectives that count on numbers to score points such as Breakthrough and Intercept the Transmissions, however this list has a weakness to attacks that can ignore cover or in other ways quickly and easily remove your less impactful units.

Rebel Goodstuff:

Rebel Goodstuff tends to be a balanced list. This list style tends to take more independent units or smaller more self contained combos. Luke, AT-RT, T-47, and Han / Chewie are popular options in Rebel Goodstuff. The style is so broad and general though that it is hard to fully encapsulate.

How to Test and Refine

Once you have picked the elements of your list and crafted them together it is time to test your creation. The best way to do this is to play casual games with friends, if you are preparing for tournament competition then ask them to play lists that you think your list will do poorly against or problems that you think are likely to come up in the meta.

There are some things to keep in mind however - You should complete a hand full of games before making any changes to your list no matter the results, this will give you a better idea as to whether the things you think aren't working really aren't working or if the last game was just a fluke. When you do make changes make small changes and then play several more games to retest - This will help give you an idea of how much of the list is working and how far from peak efficiency you are, often it doesn't take much and generally when making big changes you end up over correcting too far in the opposite direction.

Lastly, and this takes a lot of skill, patience, and self-reflection; often when you built a list on paper that you feel really good about that list is good and fits your play style because it came from you. The biggest changes with the most beneficial impact are often not changes to the list at all but how you play it. To test changes in this way, try being more conservative or more aggressive with specific pieces, change what parts of the opponents list are priority to remove, or test different game paces and how you approach the scenario objective.

List Metrics to Consider

Although you can build your list however you'd like there are some general guidelines to keep in mind about lists in general - both so that you know what you might face, but also if your list falls too far outside of this you know there may be issues.

Activations: Most competitive lists contain between 7 and 10 activations - you can have significantly more or less than that, however keep in mind that too few activations means you generally can't put out enough attacks to handle your opponents units, and too many activations means that you are running small units who will have a hard time overcoming constants in the game such as dodge and cover.

Initiative Bid: Depending on your list and play style you will under bid the amount of points you take. If your list and play style dictate that you prefer red player, then by all means get as close to the full 800 points as you can. However if you want blue player you will have to gamble on how many points you can pass up. Generally around 5-9 points is considered a normal bid for a list that wants blue player, at this level you are missing out on one or two upgrades that a player who wants red player will not have skipped over. around 10-15 points is considered a moderate bid, at this point you will edge out lists that aren't dying to be blue player but you also are giving up several upgrades that you may or may not have needed. 15-20 points is a pretty aggressive bid, at this level you could add a special weapon or extra trooper which could have significant impact on the course of the game. Bidding more than 20 points will almost always guarantee you blue player, but it is a significant sacrifice and should be considered quite a bit before committing to.

Impact and Armor: Armor is a significant hurdle to overcome if you did not prepare for it. When building a competitive list you want to ensure that you have enough impact to handle any armor that you might encounter. A good guideline but not a hard fast rule is that you want to be able to put out 6 points of Impact at range per turn or 12 points of Impact up close. Generally this means 2 AT-RT with Laser Canon or 2 full units with Impact Grenades. Additionally you can counter vehicles with Ion weapons, as a general guideline 1 Ion weapon can replace half of your impact needs but it is best not to mix and match. Commit to an impact solution or an Ion solution to armor.

Troops and objectives: The list building rules only obligate you to bring your commander and 3 corps units so you could in theory fill the rest of the list with vehicles - however you should keep in mind that the majority of scenarios can only be interacted with by troops. for this reason I recommend taking at least 4 full units in addition to your commander or 6 minimum units. This ensures that your opponent can't just wipe your troopers off the board and then keep you from contesting the scenario. It does not matter if those troops are corps or elite or whatever you'd like as long as they can interact with the objective.

Make it your Own:

Now that you have completed the Rebel Recruitment you have the toolset to go forth and be a powerful commander - just keep in mind that these are guidelines and archetypes, you can and should build lists the way that makes sense to you. Often the best list you can play is the one you came up with yourself because it already meshes well with how you tend to think and play.

General strategy and list building for the forces of the Galactic Empire. This article is intended as an entry point to critical thinking about list building for Imperials and is not hard and fast rules. You are encouraged to build and play your own lists in your own way.

Core Philosophy

The armies of the Empire are numerous and varied, they can play in many different ways towards many different ends - but they are all built out of the same blocks and on the same principles.

quality over quantity

consistency and predictability

durability and staying power

independent and autonomous

Quality: Imperial units cost more than their counterparts, which means that you get less of them and also that each unit has to be responsible for doing more work over the course of each game. In general Imperial units benefit from longer ranges, better armor, and more consistency for their premium price.

Consistency: Imperial units don't necessarily do more damage than their counterparts, in fact their maximum potential is often less, however their numbers are consistent and reliable. A DLT-19 for example is almost always going to result in 2 hits while a Z-6 will statistically average 2 hits but in reality it swings wildly from 0 to 6. Imperials also have longer range and more access to aim tokens, generally allowing them easier mitigation of their below average rolls when they happen.

Durability: Imperial units with a couple notable exceptions have much higher damage resistance than their counterparts through the widespread availability of red defense dice, armor, and sometimes higher total hit points.

Autonomy: Although Imperial units appreciate ancillary support like everyone else, they do not count on it to perform their role efficiently. Snowtroopers with suppression can still move into range and attack while Fleet Troopers with suppression will be stuck out of range; Stormtroopers are able to move and shoot at only slightly reduced efficiency while Rebel Troopers who move and shoot without dodging drop significantly in efficiency.

Each unit in the Empire is purpose built and focused on its primary role. Stormtroopers for example excel in holding enemies at long range, Snowtroopers at close quarter troop extermination, Veers at maximizing action efficiency, and Vader is an unstoppable murder machine - in the same way each Imperial unit is purpose built, so is each Imperial list.

Imperial lists are built around an anchor - a single significant element that carries the rest of list and is fundamental in the list's play-style. The anchor is often a single expensive piece such as Darth Vader, Emperor Palpatine, an AT-ST, but could be several homogenous units that perform the same role and work in concert - such as triple speederbikes. The main requirement is that it consists of a significant portion of your list, is fundamental to your playstyle and goal, and generally the rest of the list either supports or delivers your anchor.

Where to Begin

When you begin building an Imperial list it is best to start with your anchor - it is after all the element that the rest of your force will conform around and support. Generally this will be your commander or vehicles, but in the future this could also be elite troopers or other specialized forces. It is wise to keep this piece as lean and as focused as possible. It may be tempting to add lots of upgrades to this piece to make it versatile and to shore up any weaknesses it may have, but in doing so you are investing more points into something your opponent will already be focused on - instead it would be a wiser use of resources to shore up any weaknesses your anchor has with additional units rather than over upgrading it - as a general guideline this piece should never cost more than 1/3 of your list or 250 points.

Once you have chosen you anchor it is important to know its purpose and its limitations. Vader for example deals tons of damage and has immense control and threat but only in a small and slow bubble. The AT-ST deals a decent amount of damage spread across multiple targets and can project that threat quite far, but lacks the ability to claim most objectives. Once you have identified your anchors purpose, strengths, and weaknesses its time to add upgrades. Focus on adding only upgrades that help keep your anchor alive or help it perform its primary function and skip the rest.

How to Expand

Now that you have your anchor chosen it is time to build the rest of your list - there are two paths you can take from here and knowing which one to take requires you to know your personal playstyle and preferences.

Skew

In a skew list you double down on the function of your anchor - the general tactic and theory here is that an enemy list will have limited answers to each problem they are presented with, and a skew list will present a very limited number of problems but in a quantity that will overwhelm the toolsets of most lists it encounters.

For example if you are playing with Darth Vader your opponent likely has a toolset that can handle one model that deals extreme damage at close range, a skew from there would be adding six units of Snowtroopers with flamethrowers - although the opponent's toolset could deal with one unit it is unlikely to be able to deal with the now overwhelming number and at a certain point the opponent runs out of tools that can handle the problem you present, at which point you overwhelm them and win. As a second example, most opponents lists will have the tools required to handle an AT-ST, however when you run two AT-STs you are now skewing. At some point most lists will run out of tools to overcome the AT-STs armor at which point the AT-STs are free to run the table unchecked.

In general Imperial skew lists are easier to run because once they hit the threshold of overwhelming the opponent they encounter little resistance, however skew list are so hyper focused in their function that they tend to have large weaknesses themselves and sometimes get asked a question that they cannot answer - because of this, although skew lists are simpler to play and can do well in competition, they often are not considered top tier competitive because they rely on the luck of not encountering their weakness and are easy to overcome for opponents who happen to have an answer to the skews question.

Balance

Balanced lists are the opposite of skew lists. In a balanced list you look at what your anchor does and then build around it in a way that supports it, but also covers its weaknesses and shortcomings. Generally balanced lists require more skill to use, but have a broad toolset that can answer many if not all question it is presented with. Balanced lists can still be overwhelmed by skew lists, but in general have a much more consistent and predictable win record when piloted with skill - and therefore tend to be considered more competitive.

To use our previous examples If you had chosen Vader as your anchor instead of skewing into 6 units of stormtroopers a balanced list would likely include a unit of bikes and several units of stormtroopers - the Stormtroopers add consistent damage at range to help cover Vader's small threat bubble and the bikes add speed and mobility to the list allowing you to reach your opponents support in the back that Vader couldn't reach. When taking an AT-ST instead of skewing into a second AT-ST a balanced list would take a mix of troops to enable the list to better take and hold various objectives.

A balanced list will often include some ancillary support for their anchor as well. Every unit will have faults and weaknesses - an AT-ST for example wants to move, aim, shoot, and often recover all in the same activation, General Veers enables and supports the AT-ST through abilities and command cards to become more efficient. Vader and Palpatine have limited range and speed but deal large amounts of damage once they arrive - the royal guards help deliver them by granting them guardian as well as engaging potential threats in melee. The key is to not over do the support otherwise you are over committed and wandering back into skew list territory.

Crafting a balanced list also takes considerable skill, forethought, and knowledge of the meta to know what questions you are likely to be asked and what answers them. However once you find the right balance for your playstyle and the meta, playing a balanced list is often the most enjoyable and rewarding.

Defining a Strategy

Once you have chosen your anchor piece and decided on whether you are building into a skewed or a balanced list, the next step is to envision how all of these elements come together in the ideal situation.

Is this list designed to table the opponent? Does it turtle and play at range? Is it focused on the scenario? What mission parameters does it want to see? What does it not want to see? Does it want to be Red player or Blue player?

If you are playing a skew list you should figure out what the question is you are asking; “can you overcome 22 hit points of armor?”, “can you overcome an overwhelming amount of suppression on your units?”, “can you stop and survive against a swarm of short range high-damage units?”, etc. In addition you should figure out what your weaknesses are and what questions you have trouble answering, and if you can adapt your playstyle to help mitigate your own weaknesses without changing the list.

If you are playing a balanced list in addition to the above questions you should also know what role each unit plays, what questions it answers, and if there are any unconventional uses for it that increase your toolset.

Once you have all of this in your head you are ready to put the list on the table and confirm that it plays on the table the way it plays in your head.

Common Imperial Archetypes and Strategies

Gun Line:

The gunline is long-range list that is focused on damage output and can consist of a mix of troops, characters, and vehicles; the troops are equipped with specialized long-range weapons, but the character or vehicle will often be used as a flanking unit. A common example might be Veers with an AT-ST and stormtroopers with DLTs, but the AT-ST could easily be Vader or Bikes. This archetype wants to engage the enemy at a range that the enemy can't retaliate from, for example if you can begin shooting the enemy at range 4 while the enemy can only return fire at range 2 or 3 then you get an early attrition advantage that you can press to victory. Another advantage of this style is that you can begin to suppress the enemy long before they can make it to the objective, meaning that you can often control the tempo of battle and when the scenario comes into play.

Mechanized Cavalry:

The mechanized cavalry tends to be a vehicle centric list but the defining factor is that it focuses on endurance more than damage output. Unlike the gunline this list generally wants to put its key units in the enemies face so that its supporting units can do their job safely. The troops in this list are primarily focused on securing the objective and taking out enemy units that are equipped to handle your vehicles. The vehicles job is to break your enemies lines and cause havoc once they are unchecked staying between the enemy and your support. Generally this list will run multiple units with armor such as AT-STs although you could also run it with bikes, light vehicles, or even heavy infantry if you apply them tactfully. The benefit of a vehicle heavy mechanized cavalry is that it takes advantage of its immunity to suppression and its high damage resistance to shrug off most of the opponents attacks. When playing the bike version of this list it is important to engage the enemy at angles where the bikes cant be focus fired upon so that their dodge tokens have the chance to keep them alive.

Honor Guard / Raiding Party:

This style of list concentrates on a character and their abilities and focuses on maximizing that characters impact. The rest of the list could be troops or vehicles, but the character is the central focus and everything else enables or delivers them. This list is hard to broadly define because it is going to change a great deal depending on what character you are focused on - Darth Vader for example will want ranged units to accompany him to help mitigate his short range; Palpatine will want to be surrounded by Royal Guard to help keep him alive with his limited health; and Boba Fett will often want a large diversion far away from him so he can make the most effect out of his mobility and tricks.

Imperial Goodstuff:

This is also a less defined list but it is a term you will hear so I wanted to cover it. Good Stuff tends to be less coherent than other lists, but instead consists of multiple units that are good on their own and need little support. The benefit is that this list tends to have a very broad tool set and can answer most questions it is asked, however it tends to lack the strength of a central focus that the other lists have.

How to Test and Refine

Once you have picked the elements of your list and crafted them together it is time to test your creation. The best way to do this is to play casual games with friends, if you are preparing for tournament competition then ask them to play lists that you think your list will do poorly against or problems that you think are likely to come up in the meta.

There are some things to keep in mind however - You should complete a hand full of games before making any changes to your list no matter the results, this will give you a better idea as to whether the things you think aren't working really aren't working or if the last game was just a fluke. When you do make changes make small changes and then play several more games to retest - This will help give you an idea of how much of the list is working and how far from peak efficiency you are, often it doesn't take much and generally when making big changes you end up over correcting too far in the opposite direction.

Lastly, and this takes a lot of skill, patience, and self-reflection; often when you built a list on paper that you feel really good about that list will be good because it inherently fits your play style because it came from you. The biggest changes with the most beneficial impact are often not changes to the list much at all but how you play it on the table. To test changes in this way, try being more conservative or more aggressive with specific pieces, change what parts of the opponents list are priority to remove, or test different game paces and how you approach the scenario objectives.

List Metrics to Consider

Although you can build your list however you'd like there are some general guidelines to keep in mind about lists in general - both so that you know what you might face, but also to know that if your list falls too far outside of this you know there may be issues.

Activations: Most competitive lists contain between 7 and 10 activations - you can have significantly more or less than that, however keep in mind that too few activations means you generally can't put out enough attacks to handle your opponents units, and too many activations means that you are running small units who will have a hard time overcoming the constants in the game such as dodge and cover.

Initiative Bid: Depending on your list and play style you will under bid the amount of points you take. If your list and play style dictate that you prefer red player, then by all means get as close to the full 800 points as you can. However if you want blue player you will have to gamble on how many points you can pass up. Generally around 5-9 points is considered a normal bid for a list that wants blue player, at this level you are missing out on one or two upgrades that a player who wants red player will not have skipped over. around 10-15 points is considered a moderate bid, at this point you will edge out lists that aren't dying to be blue player but you also are giving up several upgrades that you may or may not have needed. 15-20 points is a pretty aggressive bid, at this level you could add a special weapon or extra trooper which could have significant impact on the course of the game. Bidding more than 20 points will almost always guarantee you blue player, but it is a significant sacrifice and should be considered quite a bit before committing to.

Impact and Armor: Armor is a significant hurdle to overcome if you did not prepare for it. When building a competitive list you want to ensure that you have enough impact to handle any armor that you might encounter. A good guideline but not a hard and fast rule is that you want to be able to put out 6 points of Impact at range per turn or 12 points of Impact up close. Generally this means 6 units with DLT-19s, or 2 units with HH-12s, or 2 full units with Impact Grenades.

Troops and objectives: The list building rules only obligate you to bring your commander and 3 corps units so you could in theory fill the rest of the list with vehicles - however you should keep in mind that the majority of scenarios can only be interacted with by troops. for this reason I recommend taking at least 4 full units in addition to your commander or 6 minimum units. This ensures that your opponent can't just wipe your troopers off the board and then keep you from contesting the scenario. It does not matter if those troops are corps or elite or whatever you'd like as long as they can interact with the objective.

Make it your Own:

Now that you have completed the Imperial Academy you have the toolset to go forth and be a powerful commander - just keep in mind that these are guidelines and archetypes, you can and should build lists the way that makes sense to you. Often the best list you can play is the one you came up with yourself because it already meshes well with how you tend to think and play.

Leia Organa is a politician turned to a cunning general out of necessity to lead the Rebel Alliance to victory and avenge her planet of Alderaan. In Star Wars: Legion Leia is a support commander who leads from the back, skilled at enhancing her troops and getting the most effect she can out of every unit no matter how bad the casualties might be.

Unit Role:

Leia Organa is a support commander, leading from the back and increasing the efficiency and durability of her units more than directly contributing to the fight. Her command cards are also very efficient at getting an advantage in scenario play, if a bit tricksy to use sometimes.

Base Unit Analysis:

Leia Organa's combat stats are on the low end, however her primary focus in on increasing the durability of her troops and increasing their utility, not on directly contributing to the fight herself. To this end Leia is quite effective at her job. She is able to hand out dodge tokens to two of her other units at range two and to remove two suppression from troops near her - significantly increasing the action efficiency of your forces. When Leia does need to inflict some damage on her own she is able to apply a small amount very accurately and consistently whether it be from her blaster or from her tactical strike in Coordinated Bombardment. Leia also has a fairly low survivability however if she is able to remain out of LoS of enemies or behind cover with a dodge token she is often not worth the opponent putting the bulk of their attacks against to overcome the dodge and cover - which greatly increases her survivability. Leia's damage output is also a bit underrated on paper. Although her damage output is below average, her damage consistency and throughput are so high that she actually does an average amount of damage or more when compared to an average unit targeting a unit that is behind cover. An average unit will do 4 points and cover will remove 2 of them, then the opponents damage resistance will remove another 1 leaving 1 damage total. Leia will likely do 2 points, cover will remove none of them and their damage resistance will remove 1 which Leia will then Pierce meaning she will average 2 damage making her average damage output against units in the open and above average damage output against units that are dug in... although Leia is good at dealing damage, her limited range, low survivability, and strong support abilities mean that attacking should always be secondary and out of opportunity rather than intent.

Unique Upgrade Analysis:

Leia Organa has no unique upgrades at this point.

Command Cards:

Coordinated Bombardment: initiative 1, Leia only; this command card allows Leia to take an additional three attacks using the weapon listed on the command card after her activation. Because it is not an attack action and it happens outside of her normal activation, Leia is not bound by the "single attack action per activation" limit with this card, so she can make a normal attack and then still make three additional attacks with this card after. Coordinated Bombardment is best used against an opponent’s infantry as it will not end up being a significant amount of damage but will often cause one wound and place a suppression on the unit. Generally this card is best used for the suppression and any damage that makes its way through is an added bonus. If you are able to use this card early you may be able to take advantage of the suppressed units losing an action so that you can get your units into place around the objective before the opponent can.

No Time for Sorrows initiative 2, 2 trooper units; this command card gives an order to two trooper units and gives them an immediate free speed 1 move when they receive the order. This card should be held as long as possible and played mid to late game. Often this card is best at giving a unit a bit of extra threat range to charge into an opponent who thought they were safe, or to make the last bit of space needed to claim an objective. Although all of Leia's cards are powerful, this card has the most potential to outright and directly win a game. If this card can be used to get Luke into melee early and safely then this is a great use for the card, or if it can move a unit who is in imminent danger of being destroyed back to safety then do that, otherwise hold it until late game to get the last bit of tactical advantage you can on scoring scenario points.

Somebody has to Save Our Skins: initiative 3, Leia and 2 units; This card allows you to essentially activate two units one after the other without the opponent being able to respond in between. Generally this is a good card to use in your opening engagement to get your attrition advantage early. Often a key part of Rebel strategy is to out activate your opponent so that you can hold your key activations later in the turn until after the enemy is spent so that you can use those units free from recourse. Using this card early and focusing Leia and one of your other units onto the same enemy unit will often allow you to eliminate that unit from the table giving you just a bit more of an attrition and activation advantage early on, which if you can hold onto should put you on a good path to victory.

Suggested Upgrades:

Leia has two command upgrade slots and she can make good use out of them. Generally it is a good idea to put Esteemed Leader on her because of how fragile she can be, however beyond that Improvised Orders or Commanding Presence are also good ideas to help give Leia a stronger control over her activations. For the most part though, the less upgrades on Leia the better, so that you can spend more points on your other rebel heroes who will contribute directly to the fight, such as Luke, Han, or Chewbacca.

Wave 2 Update:

With the addition of wave 2 expansions Leia now have access to several new and useful upgrade options, although it is still recommended to keep her cost minimal. Emergency Stims can be a good upgrade on her, but should not replace Esteemed Leader.

Suggested Tactics:

Leia is most efficient when supporting her troopers. In general she wants to lead from the back lending troops her command bubble and handing out dodge tokens. Leia generally wants to activate early or mid turn so that you can make the most use out of both Take Cover and Inspire. The timing on her unique command cards can be tricky but generally she will want to use most of them mid or late game rather than early.

Conditions permitting in most cases you will want to open your game using Coordinated Bombardment to put some suppression out early and help you secure your objectives earlier than your opponent. Her other command cards are really situationally dependent though and there isn't a good prescriptive turn for either, as long as you feel you will get the most use out of their abilities.

Leia has quite a strong gun on her, but her fragility and the guns limited range means she is unlikely to use it most games. However if she is in a position where she can use Take Cover and doesn't need to move - if she is already holding an objective for example - then she can take some shots at enemies who get too close. Leia's weapon is very good at finishing off small units due to her Sharpshooter 2 and pierce.

Leia is also well suited to holding objectives in your back lines since she generally doesn't want to be too close to the action and can provide a lot of her support from further away. In scenarios like Intercept the Transmissions or Key Positions consider Leia as one of your scenario holding units.

The key to getting the most use out of Leia as possible is learning when to use which command card and to have a strong foundation for playing with Rebel Troopers. You will generally want 1-2 units of Rebel Troopers with her to make the most out of her Take Cover ability and her scenario play with Command Cards.

Counter Tactics:

Leia is not much of a threat in and of herself, but she excels at supporting her units and in controlling the pace of battle with her command cards. When facing an opponent running Leia she is generally not your top priority, however if you do get an opportunity to take her off the table at range it is well worth it, especially if she still has command cards she hasn't used yet. If you are able to defeat Leia midway through the game it is often a viable strategy to then change your tactics to suppress and panic the opponents troops into uselessness. However keep in mind that Rebels tends to bring multiple commanders as well, and those troops may not panic and run if they are close enough to the other leader.

For the most part playing against a force commanded by Leia Organa is not much different than facing the same force lead by any other commander. She does not command enough threat to warrant focusing on her unless the opponent presents the opportunity. In general it is best to focus on the scenario and handle the rest of the opponents forces in the way that you normally would. However keep in mind her command cards, especially No Time for Sorrows, as it can cost you a scenario if you weren't counting on the extra range.

General Veers is the best ground commander in the Empire. In Star Wars: Legion Veers is a support commander who leads from the back, skilled at bolstering his troops and getting the maximum effect out of every unit.

Unit Role:

General Veers is a support commander, leading from the back and increasing the effectiveness of his units more than directly contributing to the fight. Veers' command cards are focused on sheer efficiency and increasing the damage output of his units.

Base Unit Analysis:

General Veers' combat stats are on the low end, however his primary focus in on increasing the efficiency of the rest of your troops, not on directly contributing to the fight. To this end Veers is quite effective at his job. He is able to hand out aim tokens to two of his other units at range one and to remove a suppression a troop - significantly increasing the action efficiency of your forces. When Veers does need to inflict some damage on his own he is able to apply his small amount very accurately and consistently whether it be from his blaster or from his tactical strike via Maximum Firepower.

Unique Upgrade Analysis:

General Veers has no unique upgrades at this point.

Command Cards:

Maximum Firepower: initiative 1, Veers only; this command card allows Veers to take an attack using the weapon listed on the command card after the activation. Because it is not an attack action and it happens out side of his normal activation, Veers is not bound by the "single attack action per activation" limit with this card, so he can make a normal attack and then still attack with this card after. Maximum Firepower is best used against vehicles or enemy commanders as it will not end up being a significant amount of damage on a full troop unit but will be significant on an individual model. There are a couple of things to keep in mind when using this card; when attacking a vehicle remember that this card only has Impact 2, however Veers has Precise 1 and also surges to crits. So often the turn Veers uses this card he will spotter for two units near him and then take an aim action for himself. When you roll this attack you have a .25 chance per die to get a crit, so essentially in your opening roll you should get one crit, then you can reroll the other three for a .75 chance to get another crit and then the remaining 2 will use impact to convert to crits against armor for a total of 4. dont be afraid of rerolling hit with Veers, he is more likely to get a crit than a miss and is unlikely to get a miss at all. Also when attacking commanders keep in mind that this is immune to deflect, that means that deflect cant be used against it at all, not only can they not send damage back at Veers, but they cant convert their surges using deflect either, so it is a good way to get some extra damage through on a lightsaber wielding commander.

Evasive Maneuvers: initiative 2, 2 Vehicle units; this command card gives an order to two vehicle units and gives them a dodge when they do receive the order. This card should be used early, generally on your second or third turn, and is great on any vehicle you put it on. When playing to this card you will generally get your vehicles into position the turn before and then use this card to preemptively give them a dodge and ensure that they can activate first and survive long enough to be effective.

Imperial Discipline: initiative 3, Veers and 2 units; This is possibly Veers most powerful card. when you play it Veers and two units ready immediately. This means that they remove all suppression and ready any exhausted cards they may have. This is most effective on units that have exhaustible upgrades such as General Weiss and HQ uplink as well as the emplacement trooper generators. If you are able to get the order on 2 units that have exhaustible upgrades then you significantly increase the usefulness of that upgrade as well as the action efficiency of your list by not having to use a recover action to ready the cards.

Suggested Upgrades:

One of the biggest appeals to General Veers is that he is incredibly skilled at supporting his army, and that he is cheap enough to bring additional units. Because of this it is generally best to keep the upgrades on Veers to a minimum. The exceptions are with command upgrade slots such as Esteemed Leader and Improvised Orders. Many of the upgrades in the command slot work quite well with Veers. By default Esteemed Leader should be the upgrade he takes, ensuring that the opponent can’t defeat Veers before he is able to use his command cards. Improvised Orders also allows Veers to bring a more diverse list and still maintain rigid control of the activation order.

Wave 2 Update:

With the addition of wave 2 expansions Veers now have access to several new and useful upgrade options. Although it is still recommended that you keep his cost to a minimum, Emergency Stims could have a place on Veers, but should not overrule Esteemed Leader.

Suggested Tactics:

General Veers is most efficient when supporting his own troops. In general he wants to lead from the back lending troops his command bubble and handing out aim tokens. General Veers also wants to activate early or mid turn so that you can make the most use out of both Spotter and Inspire. Veers also wants to use his unique command cards early, since his presence on the battle field is not guaranteed for the whole game.

Conditions permitting in most cases you will want to open your game using Maximum Firepower to put some damage on an enemy vehicle or commander, on this turn you should also get your vehicles into place for a strong opening on turn 2. Turn 2 you should often use Evasive Maneuvers so that your vehicles can activate early in the round and also have the staying power to make sure they get their job done. On turn 3 Veers is often going to want to use Imperial Discipline to either ready exhausted abilities from your opening salvo or to remove suppression from your troops who are needed to do something that turn.

Once Veers has used his command cards his biggest contribution to your forces is his courage bubble as well as his ability to hand out aim tokens, however his gun shouldn't be overlooked. With a range 3, sharpshooter, pierce, and surge to crit Veers is especially good at taking out small units who stray too close to your forces. Especially speeders and armored units since Veers is more likely to roll a crit than a normal hit.

Veers is also well suited to holding objectives in your back lines since he generally doesn't want to be too close to the action and can provide a lot of his support from further away. In scenarios like Intercept the Transmissions or Key Positions consider Veers as one of your scenario elements.

Counter Tactics:

Veers is not much of a threat in and of himself, but he excels at supporting his units. When facing an opponent running Veers he is generally not your top priority, however if you do get an opportunity to take him off the table at range it is well worth it, especially if he still has command cards he hasn't used yet. If you are able to defeat Veers midway through the game it is often a viable strategy to then change your tactics to suppress and panic the opponents troops into uselessness. However keep in mind that Veers tends to bring vehicles as well, and those vehicles are not any less dangerous because veers is gone.

For the most part playing against a force commanded by General Veers is not much different than facing the same force lead by any other commander. He does not command enough threat to warrant focusing on him unless the opponent presents the opportunity. In general it is best to focus on the scenario and handle the rest of the opponents forces in the way that you normally would.